All That Glitters
by GavinsGirl
Summary: Mackayla Kennedy is Hollywood's it-girl. A traumatic experience sends her back to Chicago where she knows one man, her Uncle, can keep her safe. She didn't plan on falling in love & definitely didn't plan on falling in love with a Detective who works for her Uncle. Will Mackayla open her heart to Jay? Will Jay see her as a woman & not a victim? WARNING:DIFFICULT CONTENT
1. Running Away Or Running Home?

"Okay. I think that's everything. Here are the keys. Just drop them off to the real estate agent tomorrow before you head to LAX. Remember, Jenna, your flight is at 11:30am. That will put you down at O'Hare at 5:00pm local time. I arranged to have a car waiting for you and it will take you to your apartment. Take the weekend off to get settled. Go explore the neighborhood and the city. We can get to work on my schedule and everything else on Monday." I said. "You know, Mackayla, one of the things you pay me for is to make travel arrangements. You didn't have to do all of this and find me a furnished apartment in Chicago." my Assistant, Jenna, replied. "Yeah, I did. I really did. I'm running away, back to Chicago, in mid-January and I'm asking you to leave sunny, warm L.A. to come with me. It's the least I can do." I replied, freezing when I heard footsteps on the other side of the door. "It's okay. It's just James and Chris out there. Remember, he can't get to you anymore. Hardly anyone knows where you are going. That's the reason why you're taking a private jet. No paparazzi to snap pictures of you at LAX or O'Hare. It's going to be okay." she told me with concern in her eyes.

I gave her a couple of more instructions, put on my large dark sunglasses, walked out the front door and hopped into the waiting SUV. I didn't look back at the house that had been my home, my sanctuary for the past five years. The home that I had always believed I was safe in until that night. A night I struggled to push to the back of my mind. It's not the time to think about that. I was pretty sure I was going to have to relive that night in detail after I got to Chicago. I might be a somewhat famous actress but I don't think my Uncle believed I was coming back to Chicago just to do research for my next role. A role I had already signed on for and now was costing the studio a ton of money because of rewrites and location changes. I informed them last week of my plan to head to Chicago for research. My agent then suggested they consider moving the movie production to Chicago. I hate anyone thinking I'm high maintenance and I was afraid I was going to end up with that reputation after this. My reputation is important to me. I strong believe in treating others the way I want to be treated. As a result of that belief I have become one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood over the past three years.

"We're here, Mackayla." The voice of Chris, my driver and number two bodyguard, said bringing me back to reality. I looked out the window to see photographers staked out at the hanger waiting for me. "Shit! Who the hell told the press where I was going to be?" I asked, almost on the verge of tears. "My guess would be either your agent or your publicist. You know they're afraid this move of yours will end up losing them a ton in commission money. They think Hollywood is going to forget about you. I heard what they told you earlier this week. You need to replace them. They don't have your best interests at heart. Now stay in the vehicle until I come around your side and get you out. I'll get you onto the plane safely, and we'll wait for Chris to join us there." my bodyguard James instructed me as his 6'3 muscular frame disappeared from the passenger seat of the SUV. I just sighed. James had been with me for six years, since my first movie, and as a result we had a very close relationship. We were friends and confidants. He was my sounding board a lot of the time. The door opened and James reached in to grab my hand and assist me out of the vehicle. Wrapping his right arm around me he used his left hand to encourage the photographers to back up. I kept my head down and moved forward towards the plane as quickly as my legs could carry me. When I reached the base of the stairs of the plane, I turned, took my sunglasses off, smiled and waved. I didn't answer any of the questions that were yelled at me but as I ascended the stairs I felt a chill come over me. He was out there watching me. I could feel it. I didn't look back again. I hurried through the door of the plane and took my seat.

After an uneventful plane ride we landed at O'Hare, hopped into another SUV and headed to my new condo in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. I texted Jenna to let her know I had arrived. She said the photos from the hanger at LAX had already been uploaded to the gossip websites with speculation as to the reason behind my great escape. One said Carter had broken up with me and I was going into hiding to recover from my broken heart. Little did they know I broke up with Carter a month ago, and it was more of a fling and not an actual relationship. Another website speculated I was going into rehab. What the fuck!? I've never been filmed or photographed drunk and I stay away from drugs. Whatever...I can't worry about that now. I then texted my Uncle to let him know I was back in the city I considered home. I was surprised to get an immediate response from him. He said he was wrapping up a case tonight but he expected to see me down at the 21st District at 10:30am the next morning. The last line of his text said, "Mac, I know why you've really come back. I wished you had called me when it happened. We'll discuss in the morning." Shit, I thought to myself as I typed a response. "Be safe. Love you." I said.

As we drove through the streets of Chicago I thought about my car ride through Chicago. I was so sad and cried in my Aunt's arms until I fell asleep before we even reached the house. I had grown up in Boston, where my Dad's family was from. Other than my Grandparents on my Dad's side and my Mom's sister, who lived in Chicago, I didn't have any other family. My parents died in a car accident when I was twelve. They had been hit head on by a drunk driver on their way home from dinner one night. My Grandparents were too old and too distraught to take in a pre-teen, so I was sent to live with my Mom's sister, my Aunt Camille and her husband Hank. I barely knew Camille and Hanke before they moved me to Chicago. They were wonderful to me from the start and my cousin Justin, their son, who was two years older than me was always such a pain in the ass. But he was pretty much the older brother I never wanted but apparently always needed. He taught me how to take care of myself and stand up for myself. After Camille passed away when I was sixteen I thought Hank would send me away, back to my Grandparents. I wasn't his blood, so why should he keep me? He reminded me every day, even when he was grieving for my Aunt, that I was family and I belonged with my family...with him and Justin.

I never talk about my family or discuss them by name in interviews. All anyone knows is my parents died when I was young. That's it. My publicist and I work very hard at keeping my private life exactly that – private. Uncle Hank is a Sargent with Chicago P.D.'s Intelligence Unit and I was careful to protect his identity and the identity of his team, who I've never met except for my pseudo-uncle Al. They go undercover a lot and I never want to be the reason why their true identities are ever exposed.

After an uneventful night I woke up early the next morning. I threw on my running clothes and began stretching as I waited for James and Chris. "Let's go boys!" I yelled as I knocked on their condo door at the end of the hallway. There were only two units on my floor, my three bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom penthouse and the two bedroom, two and a half bathrooms at the opposite end of the hall. I purchased both units when I decided to make the move. "Jesus, Mac! It's only 7:00am, which means it's 5:00am back home. That's the middle of the night." James said as he opened the door. I smiled, flashing my dimples as my royal blue eyes sparkled. I had my fire red curly hair pulled up into a bun under my knit hat. I was trying to stay incognito as long as possible. "Making us run outside when it's 28 degrees out is mean. I don't think you pay us enough for this." Chris said laughingly as he closed the door behind them. We headed down the elevator and out the door for a six-mile run. It was exhilarating and felt so good to be home!

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

I have been in my office since 7:00am with Detective Alvin Olinsky and Desk Sargent Trudy Platt. Al, Trudy and I have known each other for over twenty years and they were the only two people at the District who knew the famous actress, Mackayla Kennedy, was my niece and was in trouble. We were reviewing the file that West Hollywood P.D. had emailed over the night before. There was hardly anything in the file. My blood was boiling. "No wonder their case closure percentage is so low. There's barely anything in the file. They didn't do any follow up." Al said in disgust. There were a few photos. Photos of a brutally beaten Mackayla. Photos of her beautiful home completely destroyed. Photos of her knuckles, bloody because she fought back. Photos of ligature marks around her wrists and ankles from when she had been bound and tied to her bed. The evidence from the rape kit stating she had been assaulted. There were two incident reports, the last one from ten days ago, when someone tried to break into her home once again. Everything in the file was pointing towards the fact that she had a stalker, but there were no suspects mentioned in the file. "I hope he followed her to Chicago, to my city, because I'm going to find him and make him regret every minute of his miserable existence on this planet." I growled. "I need the two of you to retract her name from the file. This is now our case but I don't want her identity known for as long as possible. The press will have a field day with this. Al, get the board set up. We hit the ground running when everyone gets in. Trudy, Mac will be here at 10:30am. I would like you to call me when she arrives and then bring her up here as quickly as possible. I want to talk to her, but because I'm so close to this I want you, Al, along with Burgess to take her official statement." I instructed.

After they left my office all I could think is how could this have happened to my little girl. Yes, she was now a grown woman of twenty-eight, but I will always think of her as that scared, heartbroken twelve-year-old who stole my heart from the first moment I laid eyes on her. With her big vibrant blue eyes, freckled ivory skin and crazy curly red hair she became my little girl from the moment Camille and I learned of her parents' deaths. I swore to myself she would never be that hurt and feel that alone ever again, and I can't help but think that she must have after her attack.

I thought there was something off when she called to tell me about the new role in her movie and she wanted to shadow my team for a couple of weeks for "research", as she called it. It was a big blockbuster with potential for a sequel and as always, she would put her heart and soul into it. I couldn't help but think something was off and when I received the call yesterday from Jenna, Mackayla's Assistant, I knew my instincts had been right. I looked at my watch and saw that it was 9:15am. I got up from my desk and walked out to the bullpen. We had closed a case last night and everyone was in a good mood because of it and also because it was Friday. I looked at Al and nodded. He flipped the board over and I said "Listen up. I know we just came off a rough case yesterday and you all did a great job. We all went home in one-piece last night and that is always our goal when we go after the bad guys. I know it's Friday but we have another case. Al, go ahead and fill them in." Everyone's head swiveled back and forth between Al and me. They couldn't believe what they heard...I was assigning the Unit a case but wasn't going to be the one giving the details. They were about to find out why.

"Is that Mackayla Kennedy? The actress?" Atwater asked, looking at the pictures on the board, before Al started to speak. Ignoring him Al began, "Listen you all know when you joined Intelligence that we do things differently up here. When we say something is to remain in house we mean it is to remain in house. I can't stress the importance of that as I'm about to give you some information that you don't know. For the rest of the case we are going to refer to the victim as Kay. All of your notes, all of the conversations you have amongst yourselves and with anyone else are going to refer to her as Kay. But let me be the first to tell you about Mackayla Kennedy, who is twenty-eight years old and the victim of a horrible rape, beating and has gained the attention of a stalker. West Hollywood PD sent the file over to us last night and as you can see it is very thin...it's too think. This case is now ours." "Why are we taking a case that happened in California? How are we supposed to solve it here?" Halstead asked. "If you had let me finish I would have told you that Mackayla Kennedy moved to Chicago yesterday. She has Chicago roots and it had already been agreed upon that she would shadow us for a couple of weeks in order to do research for an upcoming movie role." Al replied. "Jesus, we are going to babysit a spoiled actress? She would have just gotten in the way. What idiot in the Ivory Tower approved that request?" Halstead asked.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I arrived at the District early. I was anxious to see Hank and wanted to get whatever lecture he was going to give me over with. I begged Trudy to not announce my arrival and I couldn't believe what I was hearing as I walked up the stairs. With each step I took I felt my temper rising. Spoiled actress? Victim? Kay? They couldn't have come up with a better name? Why are they even investigating this case? I'm pretty sure it was out of the jurisdiction. I was embarrassed and ashamed as I saw the pictures on the board. I didn't want to think about that night ever again.

I felt James and Chris move closer, to almost protect me, and seeing the look on my face Trudy cleared her throat, drawing attention to our arrival as we reached the top of the stairs. "The idiot that approved Mackayla's request doesn't work in the Ivory Tower. He's your boss, Detective Halstead. He's also her Uncle." Trudy said to him. God, I love that woman. I missed her when I was in California. The room went quiet as I walked over to Hank and hugged him. "Obviously we need to talk." I said as I took a step back and looked at the board. I shook my head and said "I really wasn't looking my best in any of these photos. Hope I look a little better today, Uncle Hank." I turned and saw Alvin standing a few feet away with a soft smile on his face. "Hey, Al. God, it's good to see you." I said as I walked over and hugged him. I turned around and looked at the Detective, the one with the blue-green eyes who called me spoiled...the one who had to be one of the most gorgeous men I have ever seen...the one who literally just made my heart skip a beat...and in what was probably a haughty tone said "Spoiled? Really, that's a new one because most people will say I'm hard working as opposed to spoiled." I then turned to Hank and asked if we could go into his office.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Oh shit, I thought to myself as I watched Mackayla Kennedy walk into Hank's office. The Mackayla Kennedy that I may have had one or two inappropriate thoughts about over the years. I mean she is hot and even hotter in person. She's barely 5'0 tall, maybe 105 pounds with an amazing body. Her eyes are the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen. And that red hair...there's so much of it. I would love to run my hands through it. She was dressed in tight black leggings, an emerald green v-neck tight shirt with a short black leather jacket over it and black over the knee leather boots. I think I drooled as I looked at her. I think I may have just fallen in love at first sight and I don't think she even said twenty words to me. She definitely didn't smile at me but I saw her smile at Hank and Al and I wished she had smiled at me. Jesus, Halstead get it together I thought to myself. She's a victim. She's part of a case. She's Voight's niece. I'm pretty sure she hated me on the spot because of what I said. I'm pretty sure Voight is going to make my life hell because of what I said.


	2. Not A Victim

**MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I walked into my Uncle's office and he shut the door behind us. I sat down in one of the chairs across from his desk. I was surprised that he sat in the chair next to me and not behind his desk. My mind was racing. I wanted to forget about that night. I hated the fact that the person I love most in the world, who has always protected me, has seen me at my worst. "Uncle Hank, what are you doing? Why do you have information about what happened in California on your board here? Who told you what happened? I didn't want you to see me like that. I don't want you involved in this. I don't want to be involved in this. I want to forget it ever happened and just live my life. I want to move on. Please Uncle Hank, don't make me relive that night." I said. I was shocked when he told me that Jenna had called him the day before. I know she did it because she was worried but I really wish she hadn't said anything to him. I would have eventually told Hank...at least I think I would have.

"Mac, I love you and would do anything for you. Why didn't you come to me when this happened? I would have flown out and helped you get through this. I would have helped you deal with this." Hank said as he took my hand in his. Before he could say more, there was a knock on the door followed by Al entering without waiting for a response. "Hank, we just got a call. Seems the silent alarm at Mackayla's condo was tripped. Thought you would want us to check it out instead of sending a patrol car over there." he said. "How is that possible? No one knows where I live yet. It has to be a mistake. He couldn't have followed me here, could he? Hank, I've only been in Chicago for less than twenty-four hours. How could he already be here? Jesus. He's not going to stop until he kills me, is he?" I asked. But I knew. I knew it was only a matter of time before he found me. I didn't think he would have found me so quickly. "Mac, I want you to stay here. I'm going to have Atwater and Ruzek stay with you. I'll be back as soon as I can. You are not to leave this floor for any reason, you hear me?" Hank instructed. I could only nod. I was in shock.

"Atwater and Ruzek you stay here and watch over Mackayla. No one other than Platt and the two of you are to be up on this floor, you understand? Good. Dawson, Atwater, Upton and Halstead - the four of you are with me and Al." Hank said after he walked out into the bullpen. I had followed him and noticed the Detective that I spoke to before, the one who called me spoiled, was not staying. So, he was Halstead. In the middle of all my fear I realized I was mildly disappointed that he wasn't staying. "Wait, Hank what about Chris and James? They are always with me. Aren't they are staying up here as well?" I asked. "No. Until I can rule them out as suspects or accomplices they are not to have access to you. I'll let you know what the deal will be with your security detail when I come back. For the time being, they can wait downstairs. I'll let Trudy know on the way out. Let's roll." he said looking at his team before giving me a hug and planting a kiss on the top of my head. "Be safe." I told him. "Always am." he responded as he descended the stairs.

I turned and walked over to the board. I couldn't stand to look at the pictures. I hated seeing myself like that...like I was a victim. I refused to let him break me. I might have moved because of him, but I was not going to let him completely control my life. As I looked at the information sent over from the West Hollywood Police Department I realized there was one important document that was not on the board. "There's something missing. I sat with a sketch artist after the attack. There was a sketch done. Why isn't it here?" I asked. "Wait, are you saying you can ID the guy who attacked you?" one of the Detectives asked. "To an extent. He wore a partial mask. But the sketch, it was of his eyes, the shape of his face, his forehead and his hair. It was so accurate." I replied. "Kev, call Voight. Let him know that Hollywood PD didn't send over the entire file. Tell him there was a sketch done." the Detective said. "Ah, so you're Adam Ruzek. I've heard a lot about you over the years. I'm Mackayla. It's nice to officially meet you." I said. "It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you. Well, not from Voight obviously. None of us knew you were related. I meant I've heard a lot about you in magazines and stuff." Ruzek said, as he tripped over his words. "Yo, Adam. Voight wants you to put together a composite with Mackayla." Atwater said as he hung up the phone. "It's nice to meet you Kevin. I've heard a lot about you as well." I said. "I'm a big fan of yours. Have been for years. It's really nice to meet you too. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances and for everything you're going through." Kevin replied. "Thank you. Thank you both. I'm sorry you're stuck babysitting me. I'm sure there are better things you can be doing with your time." I said. "It's no problem. If you're ready we can get started on the composite. Whatever details you can give me as to what he looks like will really help." Adam said as he pulled out a chair for me to sit in.

After an hour I thought we had put together a pretty good sketch. I looked at my watch and realized there was a reason as to why I was hungry. "Hey, if I text Chris and send him out to get some lunch, will that be okay? I'm starving. Are you guys hungry? What about pizza? I've been dying for pizza. I think I want Giordano's, if that works for you guys. I'll also order enough for everyone else." I said. After being told that it would be fine I ordered six deep dish pizzas and four sampler platters with Boneless Buffalo Wings, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Fried Mozzarella Triangles and Loaded Potato Fritters. I gave Ruzek money to give to Chris because I wasn't allowed downstairs or to be near Chris and James. Over lunch I kept Kevin and Adam entertained with stories about Hollywood. In return they told me about the members of the Unit and some pretty funny drinking stories that all occurred at Molly's. As we finished up lunch Hank and his team finally returned to the District.

"How bad is it?" I asked. "Nothing in the apartment was damaged and as far as we could tell during the sweep he didn't plant any bugs or video surveillance. He's playing with you. He wants you to know he can get to you at any point in time. I want you to plan on staying with me for a while. Just until we catch this guy." Hank said, as he grabbed a piece of pizza. "Uncle Hank, I'm not moving home. I won't let him take what little freedom, what little independence I still have away from me. He chased me out of one home, he's not going to do it again. I moved back to Chicago to get my life back and that's what I'm going to do. I need to shadow your Unit for my upcoming role. What better time to shadow you then when you're searching for the guy who is trying to kill me?" I replied. "Absolutely not. It's too dangerous for you right now. You are definitely not staying in your condo by yourself. And if you think I'm going to let you shadow us on the streets right now with everything going on you're crazy!" Hank said, obviously agitated.

"Hank, hold up. Maybe Mackayla is somewhat right. Let her work with us, shadow us and it could possibly draw out the guy after her. But with that being said, Mackayla he is right. It is too dangerous for you to stay in your condo by yourself. I get you not wanting to stay with Hank. Maybe we arrange it so someone stays with you each night. What do you think, Hank?" Al, the apparent voice of reason, suggested.

"I don't like it. It's too much of a risk to have her out in the open. I'll consider having someone stay with her at night but I don't want her shadowing us. It's too dangerous." Hank said. "What makes it dangerous, Uncle Hank? Think about it. If I'm with you every day then you'll always be keeping an eye on me. I'll be with you during the day and then with one of your Detectives at night. Hopefully you'll catch whoever is after me sooner rather than later. But I will tell you this, if you won't let me shadow your Unit, I'll find other detectives in the city who I can shadow. I can't begin to stress to you the importance of preparing for this film. I need to focus on the little details. The details that are going to prepare me for this role. Who better to teach me about those details than the best cop in all of Chicago? Hank, this movie is going to be something special. I can feel it." I said.

"I'll think about it and let you know my decision on Monday morning. I wasn't planning to have you start shadowing us until then anyway." he said to me before turning to his team and said, "All right, I know we all thought we would have the weekend off, but this case is going to take priority. And I want it closed sooner rather than later. We know this guy is in the city. We don't have a full sketch of him but what we do have is pretty good. I want Burgess and Upton along with Ruzek and Atwater to go door to door in Mackayla's building. Show the picture to everyone. Someone must have seen this guy go up to her floor. Maybe someone noticed him coming in and got a look at the car he was in or at least a partial plate. Halstead, to use your words from earlier you're babysitting the spoiled actress for the rest of the day. Just kidding about the spoiled thing Mac so relax. I see that look on your face. Dawson and Al, you guys can take off. I'll see you both here first thing in the morning. We'll regroup and talk about options for next week if I decide to let Mackayla shadow us. Al, I'll want you to take Mackayla's statement tomorrow morning. Burgess, I would appreciate you being here in the morning as well. Also, Burgess and Upton, I would appreciate it if one of you would stay with her tonight and the other tomorrow night. I'll figure out something for Sunday night."

Oh my God. I'm spending the rest of the afternoon with Jay Halstead. I could feel myself starting to turn back into a sixteen-year-old girl who was running into her crush in the hallway at school. I met his eyes and was sucked in. God he is gorgeous I thought to myself. "Am I allowed to leave the building or do I have to stay up here with my babysitter for the afternoon?" I asked. "You are not to go home yet, but if you want to go out somewhere, Halstead will be glued to your side. Where do you think you want to go?" Hank replied. "I want to go check out Molly's for a bit. It will be nice to sit and have a drink at a bar and not have to worry about the paps waiting outside ready to try to catch an inappropriate picture of me as I leave. Detective Halstead can take me there and then either Kim or Hailey can pick me up when they're done for the day." I said. "That's fine. Halstead, you better keep your eye on her and stay alert. If anything seems out of place you get her out of there. Also, let whoever is bartending know that if they see anything off then they let you know right away." Hank replied before telling me he would see me the next day and he loved me.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

As Hank was speaking all I could think is how can I take my eyes off her. I mean she's Mackayla Kennedy...she's too beautiful to not look at. I needed to get it together. She's part of a case. That means she's off limits. Well, she's actually off limits because she's Voight's niece. He would not be happy if I ever hooked up with her. She's out of my league so that would never be a possibility.

We headed down the stairs and out to my truck. Before I put the key in the ignition I turned to her and apologized. "Look, I'm sorry about my comment earlier. About you being spoiled and getting in the way. It wasn't fair of me to make an assumption about you. It wasn't fair of me to say any of that, especially since you are a victim in all of this. What's happened to you should never happen to anyone. I'm really sorry Mackayla." I felt my heart start racing as she smiled at me and said "No worries Detective. We're good. I probably would have made the same assumption if I had been in your shoes. Please do me one favor though." I would do anything she asked of me. Hell, I'd give her my right arm, a kidney, anything just to get her to smile at me again. "What's that?" I asked. "Please don't refer to me as a victim. I refuse to let this asshole turn me into one." she said.


	3. A Normal Girl

**JAY'S P.O.V.**

"Why did you decide you wanted to go to Molly's of all places?" I asked Mackayla as I pulled up in front of the bar. "Adam and Kevin told me about it earlier. Sounds like a little hole-in-the-wall type of bar where people hopefully won't be taking a ton of pictures and staring at me. I'd really just like to be Mackayla Kennedy, a normal girl, and not Mackayla Kennedy, the actress, while we are here. I'm not sure if that sounds crazy or not but it would be nice." she told me. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. It makes total sense. Hopefully we can make that happen for you." I said as we walked up the steps and thru the door into Molly's. I was thankful at first glance when I realized the bar was still relatively empty.

"Hey Jay! Voight let you out early today? Who's your friend?" Stella asked as Mackayla and I walked into Molly's. We grabbed two seats at the bar. "Stella, this is..." I started to say as Otis walked over and interrupted me. Standing next to Stella, it became apparent that he recognized Mackayla. "Holy shit! Anyone ever tell you that you look just like that actress, Mackayla Kennedy?" Otis asked. I glanced at Mackayla and saw a grin on her face. "As I was about to say, Stella and Otis, this is Voight's niece, Mackayla." I replied. "It's nice to meet you. You're both firefighters at 51, right? I hear you have a great crew over there." she said, surprising the three of us. "I'm sorry, you're THE Mackayla Kennedy...the actress who just won the Golden Globe for Best Actress and is now up for an Oscar? You're Voight's niece? You know of us and where we work? And you're sitting here in Molly's?" Stella asked, obviously shocked. I didn't know she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar. Damn that's impressive. She seems so normal that I forgot for a minute how famous she really is.

"Yeah. That's me. This is a great place you have here." she said, trying to take the attention off of herself. "Thanks. I'm Hermann. It's good to meet you. I didn't hear these two knuckleheads offer you a drink so what can I get you?" Hermann said, from the other side of the bar, as he walked up to where the four of us were talking.

"Oh! You have Sam Winter on draft! I'd love one of those, please. I never get to go to places that carry much of anything on draft out in LA, and being a girl originally from Boston, I'm a big fan of Sam Adams!" she said with a smile that lit up her entire face. "I'm going to excuse myself to take a walk around the bar and look at everything. I'll probably play a little music as well. Any requests, Jay?" she said as she got up. That was the first time she referred to me by my name and didn't refer to me as Detective. "Just play whatever you want. I'm easy." I said.

After she walked away the other three wanted information. "What the hell Halstead? What are you doing with Mackayla Kennedy?" Stella asked. I explained that she was part of a case but left it at that. "Look I can't go into detail but we'll probably be here for a few hours. If you see anyone come in who looks out of place or shows too much interest in her let me know. We may have to ask one or two people to leave. And let's try to keep the pictures to a minimum. She just wants to have a low-key good time, and I don't know anyone else who deserves it more than she does right now." I said.

Once they told me they would keep an eye out and also talk to the others from 51 and Chicago Med, who might show up after shift, they moved on to serve other customers who had sat down at the bar. I turned to see Mackayla taking pictures of the bar with her iPhone. "What are you doing?" I asked. She blushed, almost as if she was embarrassed I caught her. "The production crew for the movie is coming to scout locations next week. I thought Molly's would be a great location to film a few scenes." she replied before sitting next to me and taking a sip of her beer. "God, this tastes so good. I bet Molly's is a great place to watch football games." she said. I know she claimed she wanted to be a normal girl, but how could she be so happy sitting in my little dive hang-out?

Within the next hour the bar started to get pretty busy. I was thankful Antonio had showed up. He might be off-duty and there to meet up with Sylvie but I knew he would be keeping his eye on Voight's niece as well. Another pair of eyes on Mackayla definitely couldn't hurt. "Jay, can we go grab that table in the corner? I'm not used to being out somewhere without James and / or Chris. I'm starting to feel a little exposed." she said. "Of course. We can do whatever you want. Would you feel better if we left?" I replied. After being assured she didn't want to go, we moved to the table in the corner.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I fell in love with Molly's the second I walked through the door. I haven't been able to come to a place like this in such a long time. It had a great atmosphere and everyone who worked here was so nice. I hoped I would be comfortable enough to come back on my own. Jay and I had moved to a table and ordered another round of drinks. I couldn't tell if he was flirting with me. He seemed to be unsure about hitting on me, but I definitely wasn't holding back when it came to flirting with him. There was something about him that really intrigued me. At one point he excused himself, reminding me to stay at the table, and headed towards the restrooms. It was then that I noticed most people in the bar were staring at me. I'm sure they were trying to figure out if I was really me or a doppelganger.

"Hey Mackayla. How's it going? I want to introduce you to a couple of people." Antonio Dawson said as he walked up to the table with two females and a good-looking guy. "This is Sylvie Brett, my sister Gabby and my brother-in-law Matt Casey. Brett and Gabby are Paramedics at 51 and Casey is a Captain over there on Truck 81." "It's nice to meet you all. Believe it or not, I've heard a lot about all of you over the years from my Uncle Hank, Al Olinsky and Trudy Platt." I said. Noticing the look of surprise on their faces I laughed and asked, "Why does everyone look so surprised when I say that? It's true. Uncle Hank always has a story about someone at the District, 51 or Chicago Med during our weekly Sunday Skype call. I'm also pretty sure you've never seen how comical Al and Trudy's e-mails can be. Did the pet from Hermann's son's class really die in a wall at the Firehouse?"

Before they could answer, Jay came back to the table with another really good-looking guy. Is there something in the water that helps produce so many hot men in Chicago, I wondered to myself. After quickly introducing me to Kelly Severide, who is a Lieutenant on Squad Three at 51, Jay quickly pulled Casey and Antonio aside. A minute later they came back to the table. Jay informed me that he and Antonio would be right back and once again, to not leave the table. He told me I would be safe with Kelly and Matt. "It's going to be okay. Halstead filled us both in a little, on your stalker. He and Antonio just need to have a quick word with someone. They'll be right back." Casey said.

"Anyone want another drink?" Gabby asked. After ordering two more beers for Jay and me, I told her to put the round for everyone at the table on my tab. A few minutes later Jay and Antonio returned to the table and said everything was perfectly fine. Jay said he heard from Hank and I had the all-clear to return to my condo whenever I was ready. Burgess was going to meet us there whenever Jay texted her. "Do you mind if we head back then? I don't know if I should push my luck tonight. I know it's still early so if you want to stay here you can always have Kim pick me up here." I said, hoping that he would agree to drive me home.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Did she want me to stay at the bar? Was she not having a good time with me, I couldn't help but wonder. When I said I would drive her home she flashed such a vibrant smile I knew I was in trouble. She was so nice and normal I kept forgetting she was a famous actress. She got up, paid the tab and took a picture with Gabby, Stella, Hermann and Otis. I was surprised when she said yes when Hermann asked if she would be okay if they printed a copy, framed it and hung it up in the bar, along with the other pictures on their "Wall of Fame". I then saw her exchange numbers with Brett, Dawson and Stella as they made brunch plans for Sunday with someone named Jenna. Mackayla said she would extend an invite to Kim and Hailey as well.

We got in my truck and as I started driving I found myself wishing, for the hundredth time today, that she wasn't Voight's niece. I really wanted to get to know her better. Almost as if she could read my mind I heard her say, "I really don't want this night to end." "I don't either. I've really enjoyed spending time with you and getting to know Mackalya, the normal girl." I said. "Why don't you call Burgess and tell her to bring Adam with her if he's not busy. We can order delivery and watch a movie or something." she suggested. "I'll do that but before we head to your place I want to show you something." I told her. Using the hands-free device in my truck I called Burgess. She and Adam were going to meet us at Mackayla's condo at 8:00pm. I still had her to myself for another hour. I drove to one of my favorite spots in Chicago, Pier 8 down by the Planetarium. There really is no better view at night of the Chicago skyline.

"It's beautiful!" she exclaimed as we got out of the truck. "Look at the way the Skyline reflects off Lake Michigan. It must be truly amazing at sunset." "It is but it's also cold and smells like snow so we should go in a few minutes. Can't go getting the boss's niece sick." I said as I doubted the decision to bring her here. I was alone with her and really attracted to her. She's Voight's niece, I silently reminded myself. She's a victim, I thought to myself. She's part of a case, the left side of my brain reminded me. She's out of my league, I told myself.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I could see the internal struggle Jay was having with himself. I could almost hear his thoughts. "Jay, you need to relax. Let me ask you a personal question." I said as I moved so I was standing in front of him and we were facing each other. "Do you have a girlfriend?" I asked. I wanted to do a little happy dance when he said no. "Jay, do you want to kiss me?" I asked with a smile. A smile that grew when he looked down at me and only smiled in return. "Let me rephrase the last question. Jay, why haven't you kissed me yet?" I asked, not believing I was actually being this bold. This was so unlike me. That was my last thought, before Jay tipped my head up and lowered his head, as his mouth met mine. I parted my lips slightly and let him control the kiss. His tongue teased mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck trying to move even closer to him. His hands made their way through my hair and down the sides of my body, stopping when he reached my ass. His hands cupped my butt cheeks and he pulled me up against him. As his mouth ravaged mine I gasped in pleasure when I felt his hard body make contact with mine. I had never felt like this from a kiss before. I was melting. At least I was until my gasp and moan of pleasure brought him back to reality, causing him to abruptly end the kiss and take two steps back.

"Jay..." I started to say. "We should get back to your place. Burgess and Ruzek will be there shortly." he said as he opened the passenger door for me. He was silent on the way to my condo. As we pulled up to my building I noticed a couple of photographers standing outside. "Shit! So much for anonymity. Pull down to the garage's entrance. The code to get in the gate is 2002." I said as I slid down in the front seat of his truck. I was almost on the floor as we drove past the photographers. "You can come up off the floor now." he said with a hint of laughter evident in his tone. "Is this what being a celebrity is like?" he asked. As I directed him towards my parking spot I said, "Why do you think no one knew who my Uncle was up until today? I work very hard at keeping my private life as private as possible." I looked at him and saw it, that look people who really know me tend to give, as we walked towards the elevator in the garage. "I see the look on your face. Please, I don't want or need your pity. It comes with the life I chose. The life of entertaining people. I normally have been able to sneak in and out of Chicago in the past but someone must have seen me out tonight. Not only that but it's award season and this is the first time I've been up for a couple of major awards. Catching me in a compromising or embarrassing situation is worth a lot of money to a photographer right now. It will die down after the Oscar's in early March." I said as we exited the elevator on my floor. I unlocked the door to my condo and as we walked towards the living room I asked "Now before Kim and Adam get here are you going to tell me why you ended such an amazing kiss so suddenly?"

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Jesus, she's direct, I thought to myself. I didn't want to end the kiss but I pushed her too far. Considering what she has been through I felt ashamed of myself. I felt even worse when I saw the confusion and hurt flash through her eyes when I stepped back...when I stepped away from her. Thankfully, before I could answer her question, there was a knock on the door. I walked down the hall towards the door and looked through the peephole. I opened the door letting Burgess and Ruzek in.

"Rough night so far?" Ruzek asked as he took a look at my face. Kim walked ahead of us towards the living room and I heard Mackayla greet her and mention Sunday brunch so I pulled Ruzek into the kitchen. "If you repeat this I will hurt you. I kissed her. I mean I wanted to since she first walked into the District but tonight she actually asked me to, so yeah, I kissed her. And let me tell you man, it was amazing. She's amazing. I've never met anyone like her." I said. Ruzek laughed and said "Voight's gonna kill you." before walking into the living room where the girls were. No shit, I thought to myself as I followed him back into the living room. I was definitely in over my head.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I woke up on Saturday morning at 8:00am and got dressed to go for a run. Kim was up and ready to go when I walked out of my bedroom. "I know you guys were kinda stuck babysitting me but I had a lot of fun last night." I told her as I stretched. "Kim, I have to give you a heads up. We're probably going to be followed on our run today." I said as I tucked my red hair under my knit hat. "That's why we're here." a voice from the living room said. "You guys should have just stayed here last night if you were going to come back so early this morning." I said to Jay and Adam. "How many are out there today?" I asked. I groaned when I was told there were over ten photographers waiting for me.

When headed out the front door I smiled and gave a little wave to the photographers before heading down the street with Kim, Jay and Adam flanking me. "Why do you do that?" Ruzek asked. "Do what?" I replied. "Smile and wave to them. Give them the time of day." he said. "The nicer I tend to be to them the nicer they are to me in return. Most of the time if I ask them to leave me alone they will. But things are different right now...so they're not going to give up as easily." I replied, increasing my pace and ending the conversation. We had three photographers follow us for most of our six-mile run and the rest were still outside of my building when we returned. "Guys, I'm not doing anything exciting today. Go home and get warm. It's freezing out here and going to snow soon. I don't want to be the reason you get sick." I said thinking of Jay's words to me last night.

As usual I ignored their questions and turned to head into my building when one set of questions stopped me in my tracks. "Mackayla, who's the new guy? The one who drove you home from the bar? The one you were spotted kissing by the lake? It's a great picture of you but I couldn't get a clear shot of his face." Joe, one of the long-time L.A. paps who tended to follow me everywhere, asked. I calmly smiled at the photographer not letting the dread and fear, which is what I was feeling on the inside, show and instead teased him by saying "You know I don't kiss and tell Joe. Have a good day guys!" I then turned my back to the photographers and whispered to the other three, "Not a word until we are upstairs."

"Shit! Fuck!" I exclaimed as I ran into my kitchen, opened my laptop and pulled up the website Joe sells his pictures to a majority of the time. There it was, front and center. The picture of Jay kissing me with his hands on my ass. Thankfully, the picture was taken at an angle so Jay's face isn't visible. The caption however was completely ridiculous and was going to result in the paparazzi following me non-stop as they try to figure out who I was kissing. The caption read "Who Is The Mystery Man Toasting Mackayla's Buns In Chicago?" Jesus. Ruzek laughed when he read it.

"Jay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position. I didn't realize we were being followed. At least no one knows it's you." I said. "It's okay. Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you." he replied. "I'm glad to hear you say that. If that's true, why don't you do it again?" I suggested as I laughed. I didn't think there was any way he would kiss me because Adam and Kim were standing right there. But he surprised me, actually I think he surprised all of us. He gently pushed me up against the wall and forced my mouth open with his tongue. God it was just as amazing as the night before...at least it was until I heard the very distinct and very unhappy sound of my Uncle's voice coming from within the kitchen. So much for being a normal girl, I thought to myself as I sighed and regretfully untangled myself from Jay's embrace. I glanced at Jay, who looked like he was about to pass out, before looking over his shoulder and saying "Hi, Uncle Hank."


	4. Chicago Meets Hollywood

**MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"You should have seen the look on Halstead's face! I couldn't tell if he was going to pass out or throw up." Kim said, laughing as she filled Sylvie, Gabby, Stella and my Assistant Jenna, in on Jay and I getting caught kissing by my Uncle. "So, you and Halstead huh!?" Stella asked. I took a bite of my chilaquiles and just smiled. The six of us were having brunch at Hutch American Bistro before I headed to Hank's later in the day for Sunday dinner with him, Justin, Olive and their son Danny. It was going to be my first family dinner in over a year. My first weekend in Chicago had turned out to be a lot of fun...well a lot of fun other than being caught kissing Jay by my Uncle.

 **FLASHBACK**

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"I had hoped what was shown to me on line wasn't true, but I guess it is. Halstead you can leave now. I'll deal with you later at the District." Uncle Hank said. "I'll walk you to the door." I said, knowing full well that my face was bright red. I was slightly embarrassed being caught by my Uncle. It's one thing to see it on-line but seeing it in person I'm sure did not make him happy. As I opened the door for Jay, I tried to come up with a way to prolong him from leaving. "I'll be home tonight if you want to come by later. I don't think I'll be going out anywhere in public other than to brunch tomorrow, so I'm going to cook and watch a movie. You have my number so text me if you're interested." I said, smiling at him. "I'm definitely interested. That's the problem." he replied before giving me a quick kiss and heading towards the elevator. I was about to close the door when I saw James and Chris walk out of their condo, at the other end of the hall, with Al.

"What's going on?" I asked as they headed in my direction. "Your Uncle has decided we're not a threat to you. We're about to work out a plan for guarding you until your stalker is caught." James told me as they walked into my condo. "So, we saw the picture from last night. Seems like you made a new friend pretty quickly." Chris teased.

I was just about to tell him to shut up when we walked into the kitchen and Hank informed me that it was time to have Kim and Al take my statement about what happened three weeks before in California. It was embarrassing and stressful, having to relive that night in front of someone who I was beginning to consider a friend and a man who has known me since I was twelve years old. Having to describe, once again, in detail what that monster did to me was torturous. I didn't look at Kim or Al as I spoke. I couldn't. When I finished, I looked into Al's eyes. Eyes that were filled with fury. I didn't say anything else. I got up off the couch and walked down the hall towards my bedroom and closed the door behind me. I didn't want this to follow me to Chicago. I wanted to be normal...well as normal as I could be.

Thirty minutes later, after I was able to control my emotions, and put myself back together I walked into the kitchen. Hank told me that he talked to Chris and James when I was giving my statement. It had been decided they could go back to their normal schedule and I wouldn't require any further babysitting by the Chicago PD. I could tell Hank wasn't happy about catching Jay and I so when he asked me what my plans were for the rest of the day I told him I was going to go grocery shopping and then make chili in the crockpot for dinner and watch a movie. I omitted extending an invite to Jay. I wasn't sure if I would hear from him or not and I didn't want to get him into any further trouble with Hank.

I told Chris and James to give me an hour and I would be ready to head to the grocery store. I showered and threw on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans with a blue and white striped top. I put on my knee high brown leather boots and a brown short leather jacket and was ready to go. Other than Joe, who I swear must have somehow planted a GPS on me, we weren't followed by any other photographers. Do people really want to see what kind of beans I'm buying to make chili? My life is so not that interesting.

A few hours later the chili was in the crockpot and I was trying to decide what movie to watch when I heard my phone buzz. I looked to see a text from Jay...

 _What are you doing? - JH_

 _Getting ready to eat dinner and put a movie on. What are you doing? - MK_

 _What's for dinner? - JH_

 _Homemade chili. It's been in the crockpot for the past few hours. - MK_

 _Did you make enough for two? - JH_

 _Yes. - MK_

Did that mean he was going to come over? It had been twenty minutes and I hadn't heard back from him. I thought he might have gotten called into work or changed his mind about being interested when I heard a knock at my door. I looked thru the peephole and smiled as I saw Jay standing there.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

My heart dropped when I heard the sound of Voight's voice coming from behind me. I had Mackayla up against the wall and I was almost able to block out the fact that Ruzek and Burgess were in the room. Shit...he's going to kick my ass I thought to myself as he told me I could leave. There was just something about Mackayla that made my heart race. She was beautiful, funny and really smart. Not at all what I expected. When she told me to text her if I was interested I knew, no matter what Voight said to me, I was going to text her and I was going to end up back at her place later tonight.

"Halstead! My office now!" I heard Hank say before he even reached the top of the stairs. Shit, I'm definitely in for it now I thought to myself as I pushed my chair back from my desk. I heard Upton snicker and Atwater say "Good luck, bro. Hope the kiss and the game of grab ass was worth it." "It was. Like I told Mackayla earlier, that's the problem." I replied.

I walked into Voight's office, closing the door behind me. "Have a seat." he said. "I'm good standing Sarge." I replied, hoping I didn't look as nervous as I actually felt. "Halstead, sit your ass down now." he said in a tone I knew better than to argue with. "Look Sarge, I'm sorry about the picture..." I began before he cut me off. "I'm only going to say this once, Detective. If you want to stay in Intelligence, in my Unit, then you will stay away from my niece. You're good police Jay, with the potential of being a great Detective, but that's not going to happen if I catch you with Mackayla ever again. I'll make sure you are on Patrol for the rest of your career. That's all. You can leave my door open on your way out." he told me.

I know I probably should have listened to him, but it was too late I thought to myself, as I sat in the parking garage at Mackayla's trying to decide for twenty minutes if I was going to go up for dinner to ignore the warning and hope that she was worth the risk. When she opened the door and smiled at me, I knew I had made the right decision.

 **PRESENT DAY**

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

After finishing my chilaquiles and cheesy potato casserole I sipped on my second blood orange mimosa as I listened to the conversation around me. It was nice to enjoy the company of strong minded females. Yeah, they were curious about me and my life but the conversation didn't revolve around any of that. To be honest they were more interested in what was going on between Jay and I as well as what it was like growing up with the formidable Hank Voight.

Brunch was wonderful and after promising to stop by 51 later in the week I headed home. I still had a few hours before I needed to be at Uncle Hank's for dinner. "Seems like you had a good time." James said to me from the front passenger seat of the SUV Chris was driving. "I did. It's nice being around normal people again. Oh, Chris, I'll just need you to drop me off at Uncle Hank's at 4:00pm. You don't need to stay. He or Justin will drive me home after dinner. James, my friend, you have the night off. I know you guys have been working more than usual lately and I appreciate it. Hopefully, life will go back to normal soon. Not that I don't love having you drive me everywhere Chris but it will be nice to be able to drive myself places again." I told them as we pulled into the garage and Chris parked in our designated spot.

Dinner at Uncle Hank's was wonderful and I couldn't get over how much Danny looked like Justin. He was a mini-Justin in the making. I mentioned during dinner that my agent, publicist and a whole bunch of production people for the movie would be arriving in Chicago the next afternoon. I was planning on shadowing Hank's Unit in the mornings but would need to focus on other aspects of my job during the afternoons. I thought Hank was going to lose it when I mentioned I needed to fly back to LA on Friday for the SAG Awards which were taking place on Sunday evening. I would be back in Chicago on Monday afternoon. The following week I would have the same schedule because I was presenting at the Grammy's.

The next morning, I arrived at the District at 7:30am. It had been an early morning with me dragging Chris and James out for a run at 5:30am. They weren't happy, but it's not like I could go by myself at this point, nor would I want to because it was still dark out. After dropping me off at the District I sent them back home and told them to go back to bed. I needed to be picked up at 3:00pm and taken to the offices downtown that the movie's production crew had rented. We would be working out of there until filming began.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

Mac is crazy if she thinks I'm letting her go back to LA by herself. Jesus. I'm uneasy enough with her staying in her condo by herself, but to have her fly back to LA makes me uncomfortable. Especially since we don't have any leads on who her stalker is. I'm going to have to send someone with her. Someone she can play off as her date. That obviously counts out me, Al, Upton and Burgess. Dawson usually has his kids on the weekend and I remember Atwater saying something about going to visit his brother and sister this weekend. This isn't the right undercover op for Ruzek. That leaves me with one person. As much as I don't like it, I only have one person to who I can send...Halstead. Jesus, I warn him to stay away from Mac and now I'm going to be sending the two of them away together. I'll have to put the fear of God in him before he leaves. I got up to head out to the bullpen to inform them of my plan and saw Trudy heading up the stairs.

"Hank. There's someone downstairs to see Mackayla." she said in a quiet tone as she made her way over to where I was standing. "Who is it?" I asked. "It's her ex-boyfriend. It's Carter Jones." This ought to be good. I knew for a fact, thanks to the security team at Mac's building, Halstead had been there on Saturday night for a few hours. He obviously didn't listen to my warning, and it's not like I can put him on Patrol now since I was sending him to LA.

"Mac. You have a visitor. Trudy is going to bring him up here. Why don't you head into the break room and we'll bring him in to see you." I announced as Platt went back downstairs. "Who is it?" she asked, looking up from whatever Dawson was showing her, surprised to learn she had a visitor. "Carter is on his way up." I responded, unable to help myself as I glanced at Halstead. Apparently, he had no idea who Carter was because there was no reaction from him as he continued re-reading the file Hollywood PD had sent over. He was convinced we had missed something and I was beginning to think he might be right.

I swear before my eyes, Burgess and Upton turned into sixteen-year-old girls. They stared in awe as Carter Jones swaggered up the stairs and over to Mac. I had never met him but disliked him on sight. I never liked any of the things that Mac told me about him and even though she broke up with him, we were able to eliminate him as a suspect because he was out of town when she was attacked.

"Mackayla! How are you doing, luv? I can't believe you left LA for Chicago and didn't tell me! You know you could have just moved in with me and I would have kept you safe. Why did you move to this snow infested freezing city? Let's go get lunch and talk about moving you back home where you belong. This town is not the place to be, especially in the middle of Award Season. Now we need to talk about where we are leaving from, my house or a hotel, for the SAG Awards and the Grammy's. Come now." he said. I almost laughed out loud when I saw the ferocious look in Mac's eyes. He's in for it now, I thought to myself. I then noticed that Halstead's attention was focused on them as well.

"Carter. What are you doing here? Why are you in Chicago? Last I heard you weren't in the movie, and I'm pretty sure someone would have told me if there had been a change in the cast." she said, eyeing him suspiciously. "My love, let's go somewhere private and talk. I was devastated, hearing you moved back to Chicago because of our little disagreement. Come now, let's go back to your place. It's been way too long since we have been alone together." he pressed.

"Carter. I did not move back here because of our disagreement, which if you remember correctly was not a disagreement, but it was a conversation that resulted in me ending our relationship. A relationship that was barely even that. You are not my date for the SAG Awards or the Grammy's. Go back to California, Carter. There's no reason for you to be here. I don't want you here. I honestly don't care if we ever speak again. I don't have hard feelings towards you Carter...I just don't have any feelings for you at all. You're a self-centered narcissist and definitely not the type of person I want in my life." she replied causing both Halstead and I to grin. That's my girl, I thought.

"Mackayla, don't be ridiculous. Now you need a date for both award shows. You can't go by yourself considering the Oscar's aren't too far away. I've rearranged my schedule, which was somewhat of an inconvenience, to take you to both shows and then to the Oscar's. I mean who else would be your date? Let's be serious Mackayla. You can't get a date this late in the game." he said, way too full of himself and not listening to what Mac had told him.

I walked over to Halstead and tapped him on the shoulder. I gave him a nod, which was the only signal he needed. He got up from his desk and walked over to Mac, putting his arm around her shoulders. She grinned at him, and said to Carter, "Let me introduce you to my date. Jay Halstead meet Carter Jones."


	5. Hollywood And The Ice Princess

**MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

It was almost time for Jay and I to get out of our limo and walk the red carpet. Jay would escort me but would have to wait to the side with Jenna as I stopped for photos and interviews. Interviews that, for the first time in my career, I was dreading having to give. "Hey. Are you okay?" Jay asked as he took my hand. "Yeah. I'm just not looking forward to the interviews and the questions. I don't want the pity looks either. This is supposed to be such an exciting couple of months and now there's all these rumors hanging over my head. I've worked so hard to stay out of the tabloids and now to see those pictures plastered all over them...ugh..." I replied. "Mackayla, you are a strong woman. If anyone can handle this, it's you." he said with a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Jay, for being here. It means a lot to me. I know you didn't sign up for this craziness." I told him. "Two minutes, Ms. Kennedy." the driver said, ending our conversation. I took one last look in the mirror and then handed my clutch and phone over to Jenna.

 **FLASHBACK (6 DAYS AGO)**

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

As Carter finally caught on he turned to leave. "Wait! Carter, what did you mean keep me safe?" I asked. "You haven't seen the websites today? Your picture is all over them. The same picture that is posted on that board over there. It's your loss, Mackayla. You were always a frigid bitch, an Ice Princess. Figured that out when you wouldn't put out. Looks like you got what you deserved." he said smugly. He didn't look back as he walked down the stairs. Which was a good thing because if he had he would have feared for his life based on the expressions on Hank and Jay's faces.

"What an asshole!" Upton exclaimed. "He really is a jerk. Is his British accent fake? I can't believe I actually thought he was hot." Kim said. "His accent is as fake as his tan, his name and his teeth. He was born in Wakeeney, Kansas." I replied as I walked over to where Kevin was pulling up the gossip websites. There it was. The photo of my face, after I was beaten to a bloody pulp. There was also a picture of my house after he destroyed it and another of me unconscious tied to the bed. One website titled it "Drug Deal Gone Bad? What's Mackayla Kennedy Really Hiding?" The other website titled it "Did The Ice Princess Tease Someone Beyond The Brink Of Control?" The third gossip website titled it "Virgin Queen Of Hollywood No More."

"Where did that picture come from?" I heard Ruzek ask. "That wasn't sent over as part of the original file." he said. "Al..." my Uncle Hank began. "I'm already on the phone calling Hollywood PD." Al replied. "Mac...Mac...Mackayla!" Hank yelled to get my attention. I looked at him in horror. I couldn't speak. I could only shake my head before I turned around and ran down the stairs. I ran past Trudy and out the front door. I didn't stop until I saw the car I had been looking for.

"I need you to come with me." I said to Joe, the photographer from LA. "Mackayla, I swear I had no idea. I didn't take any of those photos. I wouldn't do that. I go more for what I took on Friday night." he said nervously as he followed me into the District. Trudy buzzed us up and I introduced Joe to my Uncle Hank and the rest of the Unit. "Look, Joe didn't take those pictures but he takes a lot of pictures of me. Maybe he saw something and captured it without realizing. Maybe he can put you in touch with someone at the website who can help. He's a nice guy, Uncle Hank, so please don't scare him. Joe, if you want to continue having the access to me that you currently have then you will help them in any way you can. I now have to go to a meeting and figure out how to do damage control and salvage what is left of my career. Or what will be left of it once every movie producer and every studio head see those photos." I said as I grabbed my jacket and bag.

"Hey. Are you okay?" Jay asked as he and Hank walked over to me. "No. Not at all. I'm angry and beyond embarrassed. How could this have come out? How could they have printed those horrible stories about me? Could he have somehow leaked it?" I asked them both. "We're going to find out. Call me after your meeting is over. Tomorrow, we'll come up with a game plan for your weekend in California." Hank said giving me a hug before walking into his office and closing the door behind him. "Want me to come by later?" Jay quietly asked. "Yeah, I do but let me see how the rest of my day goes first. I'll text you a little later." I said.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

I walked Mackayala out to her car and watched as Chris drove away. I saw the tears in her eyes and hated seeing her look so sad and so vulnerable. It was quite the change from the girl I got to know over the weekend. It reminded me that she was a victim. "Can't someone do something about having those photos taken down?" I asked Voight and Al as I walked into Voight's office. We were about to strategize a plan in order to keep Mackayla safe in California. I was going to be her date to the SAG Awards and would be with her the entire weekend.

"What? What did I miss? Why do you look like that?" I asked as I sat down. "Jay, that last website was somewhat correct. Mackayla reached out to Olivia Benson and Amanda Rollins with SVU after the attack. She met them a couple of years ago when she was filming a movie in New York. I had flown out to visit her and we went to dinner with Liv, Amanda and Fin. She really hit it off with them and they have stayed in touch over the years. Liv called me when she heard Mackayla was back in Chicago. She didn't go into detail, but she did let me know Mackayla had still been a virgin before the attack. She thought I would need to know in order to help Mac deal with everything." Voight said.

I was floored. Beyond shocked. I was appalled and wanted to murder whoever did this to her...whoever took that choice and that experience away from her. I'm sure the way I was feeling matched the anger and hatred I saw in both Voight and Al's eyes. I couldn't believe it...this gorgeous, sexy, amazing woman had been a virgin until a month ago and her first sexual encounter was a gruesome experience. How was it possible she had never had sex before, I couldn't help but wonder to myself.

"Halstead, you can't let her know that you know. Voight only told you this because she cares about you and it seems that you might care about her as well. So, please, if you are not sure that you can handle this on top of her crazy life, then you need to back off now...well after California." Al said, speaking the words I'm sure Voight was thinking.

 **PRESENT DAY**

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"You are stunning. You absolutely take my breath away." Jay said just before the limo driver opened the door. I smiled at him, my eyes sparkling in excitement, as I stepped out of the limo and waved to the cameras. "Ready for your red-carpet debut, Mr. Halstead?" I teased when he joined me. "This is insane." he replied, as we walked together for a few steps, before moving over to where Jenna stood while I did my first interview.

 ** _Mackayla! Congratulations on your Golden Globe win and tonight's SAG Award nomination for Best Actress! - Interviewer #1_**

 ** _Thank you! It's such an honor to be nominated in a category with four remarkably talented women. - MK_**

 ** _How are you feeling? - Interviewer #1_**

I knew it was coming but I still felt the flash of anger wash over me. My agent and publicist had assured me they informed each Interviewer that the pictures and the attack were off limits.

 ** _I'm great! Well nervous and excited. This is my first time at the SAG Awards. - MK_**

 ** _You look like you're feeling better. Do you care to comment about the pictures or the rumors Carter is spreading to the tabloids? - Interviewer #1_**

 ** _It was lovely to see you, Jessica. - MK_**

Each of the first four interviews went that way. I wasn't going to comment about it on the red-carpet. I had two speeches in my clutch in case I won. One speech slightly addressed it while the second speech did not. My publicist arranged an interview, win or lose, tomorrow morning with one of the biggest morning shows in the country. Jay and I were taking the red-eye tonight from LA to New York. I would do the interview and then we would fly home to Chicago afterwards.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"Jesus! She's good but I don't know if she'll keep it together if the last interview goes like the others." Jenna whispered to me. "She will. But she will put them all on notice tomorrow when she does that interview. She's amazing." I replied as I watched Mackayla move on to Interviewer #5.

The interview began the same way the others had but instead of asking how are you feeling, he asked how are you feeling about tonight. That question, that single question, caused Mackayla's face to light up with a smile that reached her eyes. It was the first time I had seen a real smile on her face since we got out of the limo. I knew she realized at that moment, this interview would be different than the others. The next question was about her dress and who designed it. She went into detail about the black strapless dress, which in my opinion, fit her body like a glove. She mentioned something about an organza overlay and intricate beading. I don't know much about dresses but I do know this one was beautiful.

 ** _Mackayla, is there anything you want to say before you head inside? - Interviewer #5_**

 ** _I'd like to thank you, Dennis, for being the best interviewer of the night. You have made these past five minutes so much fun! - MK_**

 ** _Best of luck tonight, Mackayla. We look forward to seeing you on the red carpet at the Oscar's in a few weeks! - Interviewer #5_**

Mackayla turned towards Jenna and I with a brilliant smile on her face. She extended her hand to me and as we walked the rest of the red-carpet, hand in hand, Joe managed to snap a photo of the two of us from where the paparazzi were corralled. The picture, taken from the back, did not show our faces, but with her red hair, it was obvious that it was Mackayla. Before the show began the photo, had already been uploaded to one of the gossip websites and was titled "Carter Who!? Mackayla Has Moved On With Chicago's Finest!" Oh boy, I thought to myself when Ruzek texted me the link to the photo during the show. "Apparently you skipped Facebook Official and went straight to Red-Carpet Official." his text said.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I laughed when Jay showed me the text from Ruzek. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh. Are you okay with it? I can have Jenna try to get them to take it down. At least your face isn't in it." I said, thinking to myself I would like a copy of it in black and white. The focus of the photo was on our linked hands. "No. It's fine. My brother, Will, also texted me. He asked if I was at the SAG Awards because his girlfriend, Natalie, saw the picture and somehow recognized me." he said. "Jay, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I warned you, Hank and Al that something like this could happen. Win or lose the cameras will pan over us and you will most likely be caught on camera." I reminded him. "Mackayla, it's fine. I promise." he responded, smiling at me.

The show flew by and before I knew it my category was being called. "And the Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role goes to..." I was holding my breath as I clutched Jay's hand "...Mackayla Kennedy!" Holy shit! I couldn't believe it as I stood up. My co-stars, who we were seated with, all hugged me and offered their congratulations. I turned to Jay, with tears in my eyes, as I grinned at him. He cupped my face in his hands, whispered "Congratulations beautiful" and lightly kissed me.

I walked up to the stage and took a deep breath. I started my speech the way most award acceptance speeches begin. I thanked the studio, the writers, the director, the crew, my co-stars, my agent, my publicist and Jenna my Assistant, who I said I would be lost without and considered to not only be my Assistant but my best friend as well. I then paused before saying...

 ** _"I need to take a minute here to address something. I know most of you have seen the pictures and have heard the rumors. To the person who continues to refer to me as an Ice Princess in the tabloids...you only call me that because I wouldn't sleep with you on date #1 or date #2. By our third date it was apparent you were only using me in order to advance your career so I ended things, then and there, without ever sleeping with you. Now, according to you, I'm a frigid bitch who got what she deserved. I'm a powerful, strong-minded, intelligent woman, who like all women, has the right to make a decision without being called names. This is the last time I will speak of you. Your fifteen minutes are now up."_ **I said pausing until the laughter and applause quieted down.

 ** _"To the monster who attacked me, brutalized me and assaulted me...you did not break me nor will you ever break me. I am not a voiceless victim and I refuse to let you turn me into one."_ **I said, pausing again until the applause stopped and the audience sat back down. I couldn't hold back; a few tears silently fell down my face as I was overcome with emotion due to the support I received in the room.

 ** _"To my Uncle Hank, this award is for you. After my parents died, you and my Aunt Camille took me in. I'm sure you weren't expecting to have to raise a twelve-year-old girl who you barely knew. After Camille passed away, four years later, I didn't think you would keep me because you and I aren't related by blood, Camille and I were. You could have sent me back to my grandparents, but you reminded me every day that we were family and family sticks together. You have always supported me and encouraged me in everything I have ever done. You have helped me grow into the person I am today. You have always been my biggest fan. Thank you, Uncle Hank. I love you more than you'll ever know. Thank you again to the Screen Actors Guild for this amazing honor. Enjoy the rest of your night!"_** I said ending the speech and walking off the stage.

The movie won for best movie and after the show ended Jay and I hopped into the waiting SUV that Chris was driving. The plan was to skip the after-party and head to the hotel to change before going to the airport. I could tell there was something wrong after Jay looked at his phone. "What's wrong? What is it?" I asked. "Your hotel room was broken into during the show. Just after you won. The perp was caught on an elevator camera. Hollywood PD asked us to go straight to the Precinct to see if you can make a positive ID. They think it might be the person who attacked you." Jay replied.

Chris drove us to the police station. I looked at the lineup and recognized one person, but that person was not my attacker, it was Carter's Assistant, Jake. "What the hell? Carter is pissed so he sent Jake to rob me and trash my suite? What a fucking asshole!" I said. "He couldn't have attacked me last month. First of all, he doesn't resemble the sketch. Second, he was in Breckenridge skiing with Carter when I was attacked. There are pictures of the two of them all over social media." I told Jay and the Hollywood PD Detective. "I'd like to go back to the hotel, change and head to the airport now. You can deal with Jake and Carter however, you see fit." I told the Detective.

Hours later, as we sat in first class and the plane began its descent on New York City, Jay apologized. "I'm sorry Mackayla. This put such a damper on your big night. You shouldn't have had to deal with any of that. Not on a night like this." he said. "Jay, it's not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for." I replied before turning to look out the window, silently wishing my life could go back to normal.


	6. A New York Minute

**JAY'S P.O.V.**

"I don't know how she does it. She got up yesterday morning at 6:00am to go for a six-mile run before hours and hours of beauty prep for the SAG Awards. She gave interviews, smiled for pictures and gave one of the best acceptance speeches ever. That was all before 8:00pm California time. She barely blinked an eye when I told her we had to go to the police station. Then we go back to the hotel, change and head to LAX to catch the red-eye. Sarge, I don't think she slept for more than two hours on that flight. Now she's having hair and makeup done for her interview that begins in thirty minutes." I told Voight over the phone as I stood inside of a studio at Rockefeller Center in New York.

"She's been like that since Camille died. It's almost as if the thought of sitting still or relaxing scares her. Too many painful memories from her parents' death and then my wife's. I'd like to see her take a real vacation. But, that's something to be dealt with at another time. Other than the incident with the hotel room, you haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary?" Voight asked.

"Nothing. It's almost like this guy decided to take the weekend off. I'm worried about retaliation from her speech last night and this interview today." I replied.

"We've come up with a couple of names and scenarios about who is doing this. I think there are two people working together. Al found out from Hollywood PD that one of their Detectives has gone off the grid. Put in for a last-minute vacation and hasn't been seen or heard from since Mac moved to Chicago last week. No hits on credit cards, bank accounts or social media. He is scheduled to return to work today. We'll know in a couple of hours if he shows up. His picture resembles the sketch Mac did with both their sketch artist and Ruzek. That's part of the reason they didn't send the original over with the file. We now have it." Voight told me.

"Are you serious? It could be a cop who is doing this? You said two people. Who is the other suspect?" I asked in disbelief. "I'll fill you in this afternoon when you get back to the District. Keep her safe Jay and tell her I'll be by to see her tonight." Voight instructed before ending the call.

A Detective was doing this, had done this, to Mackayla? Jesus, the media will have a field day if that ever comes out. I can't help but wonder who the other person Voight thought may be involved. I was lost in my own thoughts and didn't notice Jenna until she was standing next to me.

"She'll be out in a minute. I think this is the first time in a very long time that I've seen her so anxious. I think all of this is starting to take its toll. I told her she should take a vacation and get away for a bit before the movie starts filming. Jay, she said she would love to but she's afraid he'll just follow her wherever she goes." Jenna said in a quiet voice, almost as if she was afraid of being overheard.

Before I could say more the dressing room door opened and out walked Mackayla looking just as beautiful as she did yesterday. Today tho, instead of excitement making her eyes sparkle I saw the worry, fear and uncertainty in them. A look I haven't seen there before...a look I never wanted to see again.

I stepped forward to approach her when I heard yelling coming from the other end of the hall. "Mackayla, go back inside with Jenna and close the door. Chris, no one goes into that room until I give you the okay. James, you're with me." I instructed heading in the direction of the voices. "It may be nothing to do with Mackayla but I'm not taking any chances." I told James as we rounded the corner to hear and see Carter Jones screaming at a security guard and a producer. "Do you have any idea who I am? I demand to be let in now. If Mackayla Kennedy is going to talk about me, then I have every right to defend myself." he yelled. "I'm done with this asshole." James said moving forward. "Wait. I have an idea." I told him as I stepped forward.

"Carter. You made my job a lot easier today. I know both the Hollywood PD and Chicago PD want to speak with you regarding your involvement in the robbery and vandalism that occurred in Mackayla Kennedy's suite yesterday at the W Hotel. Your assistant, Jake, gave you up as the mastermind. Now I'm going to ask that after I cuff you and place you under arrest security holds you until a friend of mine from the NYPD comes and gets you." I said.

I couldn't help but smile as I read him his Miranda rights. Once he was locked in a dressing room, where I was assured he wouldn't be let out of, I pulled out my phone and called Olivia Benson with SVU. "Liv. It's Jay Halstead. I apologize for calling so early but I need a favor." I said. I knew Carter hadn't physically attacked Mackayla, and it wasn't an SVU case, but I hoped one of her Detectives would question him and hold him until I got Mackayla back to Chicago. After I filled her in, Liv told me she would send both Amanda Rollins and Sonny Carisi down to take Carter into custody. She would also reach out to Hank and Hollywood PD. Once I finished the call I texted Hank to update him. His response had me thinking maybe I was almost out of the dog house where Mackayla was concerned. "Nice work. Charge may not stick but keeps him away from Mac. Text me when you get to the airport. I'll update you on what Liv says."

Mackayla couldn't stop laughing as I told her what I had done. "The only think I'm upset about is not getting to see you put cuffs on him!" she said smiling as we walked out of her dressing room a short time later. "Jay!" we heard coming from the end of the hall. We watched as a man and woman approached us. "Amanda, Carisi, thanks for coming. I really appreciate the two of you doing this. Let me introduce you." I said, acting like I didn't know about Mackalya confiding in Liv and Amanda after her attack. "Mackayla Kennedy, these are two Detectives with SVU, Amanda Rollins and Sonny Carisi." I said.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"It's nice to see you again, Amanda. How's Jesse doing? She's getting so big from the last picture I saw on Instagram." I said as I gave her a hug. I then turned and extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Detective Carisi. I've heard a lot about you from Liv and Amanda." I said. "How do you know Liv and Amanda?" Jay asked. As I explained I had met them in New York a couple of years ago when Hank came to visit me on the set of a movie I was filming, a P.A. came to tell me I had five minutes until I was needed on set. "Thank you both for doing this. Ummmm...Amanda? Hank doesn't know I called you and Liv after it happened. I'd like to keep it that way if possible. Tell Liv I'll call her later." I said. I then turned to Jay, smiled and said "Wish me luck."

"You don't need luck. You continue to amaze me. Just go out there and show them who Mackayla Kennedy, the normal girl, really is. I'll be right here when you're done." he told me before lightly kissing me on the lips. Oh, Jay Halstead you are good...really good, I thought to myself with a smile as I walked towards the set.

"Jenna, does this really look okay? Maybe I should have stuck with a black dress instead." I said taking one last look in the mirror by the set entrance. I don't use a sylist a majority of the time, other than for award shows, so I was starting to doubt the wool knee-length royal blue dress I had on. It had a white lace collar and lace cuffs at the wrists. With it I wore a pair of black Louboutin 3" heels along with my Aunt Camille's pearl necklace and earrings. "You look perfect Mackayla. Just relax. You have all of us in your corner. Just remember that." she replied. "Thanks Jenna." I said as I took a seat in one of the chairs the show uses for interviews during the eight o'clock hour. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and released it, opening my eyes as the countdown began...5...4...3...2...1

 _"Good morning. Welcome back for our eight o'clock hour. I am here with not only this year's Golden Globe winner for best actress but also last night's SAG Award winner in the same category. She is up for an Oscar in a few weeks but it's her acceptance speech from last night and recent tabloid headlines that have people talking this morning. Mackayla Kennedy, welcome to the show. Congratulations on your well deserved award last night."_ Lisa, the host, said in greeting.

 _"Thank you Lisa. It's a pleasure to be here. I appreciate you making time for me this morning."_ I replied.

 _"Mackayla, I want to apologize, as a media personality, how sorry I am for your invasion of privacy lately. I think the majority of us in this industry were appalled by the lack of human decency the owners of the gossip websites displayed when they posted photos of what I'm sure was one of your darkest days. This interview is going to be a little different than most. I am giving you the floor, an open mic so-to-speak. What is it that you want to tell us, Mackayla?"_ she said, surprising me.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Holy shit! They're going to give her the opportunity to say whatever she wants and whatever she needs to say I thought, excited beyond belief for her and for this opportunity she now had...until I saw it. I saw that look in her eyes again as a single tear fell down her cheek. Come on Mackayla, you can do this, I silently encouraged.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

My heart was breaking for Mac as the camera went in for a close-up and I saw the tears begin to fall. I am going to destroy the people responsible for making her feel this way, I thought to myself. "She'll pull through Hank. You taughter her how to fight and as much as you want to protect her, you can't. At least not when it comes to publicity stuff. Give her a minute to breathe and then she'll show the world what she's made of." Trudy said as she, Al and I watched the interview in my office.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

Get it together Mackayla, I thought to myself. I picked up my coffee mug, which was filled with Diet Coke because I don't like coffee. I took a sip, looked at Lisa sitting across from me, who looked as if she was sure I was going to blow this opportunity, and began to speak...

 _"Lisa, I'm not going to go into details about the attack, but I will say this. Yes I was attacked. Yes I was brutally beaten. Yes I was raped. The person who did those horrific things to me is now stalking me. He has followed me from LA to Chicago. To that person I have two things to say. The first is pretty much what I said last night. You will not break me and I will not let you turn me into a voiceless victim. The second is be afraid...be very afraid. Hollywood PD is now working in conjuction with Chicago PD's Intelligence Unit and, according to the text I received moments ago, New York's Special Vicitims Unit. Intelligence and SVU are the best of the best. You will be caught. You will be brought to justice. You will go to jail._

 _To the Hollywood PD Detectives who have been handling my case up until now...I have one thing to say. You are a disgrace to everyone in the world who proudly and honorably wears a badge. You sent over an incomplete file to Chicago PD, omitting the sketch that had been done of my attacker. You should be ashamed and I'm hoping the Police Chief and Internal Affairs will look into this and find out why._

 _To the Gossip Websites...I understand you are in the business to make money, and we all know pictures sell. Ask any of your photographers and I'm sure they'll tell you that I try to make myself as available to them as possible. I get it. It's part of my job. But for you to post those pictures of me changes things. What you did was inhumane. Would you have posted those pictures if it was your Daughter...your Niece...your Wife...your Sister? You've all been contacted by my attorney's informing you of a potential lawsuit if the pictures were not immediately taken down. All but two of you complied with the ceast and desist letter. To those two websites who did not take the photos down, I look forward to seeing you in court._

 _To the women who have gone thru something similar to me...It doesn't matter if you're famous or not. This should not have happened to you. You are not at fault. You are amazing women and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are not alone. Remember that. And remember to fight for justice. Work with the local PD in catching your attacker. Don't be silent about what happened to you. You have a voice, use it._

 _In the coming months four new shelters and counseling centers will open in LA, Chicago, Boston and New York. These centers will focus on helping women deal with abuse and rape. It will help them move forward in their lives. It will assist them with recovery and getting back on their feet. It will help them realize they are not alone. I have donated my salary from my past two films to building and staffing these centers. Any damages won from the lawsuits against the two gossip websites will go to these centers as well."_

I paused, hoping that I made my Uncle Hank proud of me, for standing up for myself. For once again taking charge of my life. For not being a victim.

 _"Wow! Mackayla, that is absolutely amazing. You have definitely shown all of us what a strong courageous woman you are. Have you decided on a name for the shelters?"_ Lisa replied.

 _"The three in LA, Chicago and New York will be called Camille's Place, in memory of my Aunt. The Boston Center will be known as Theresa's Place, in memory of my Mom."_ I told her.

 _"That's lovely. What a touching tribute to two women who I'm sure would be very proud of you. Before I let you go, Mackayla, I do need to ask you to comment on two things. The first is a video we received, a short time ago, of Carter Jones being arrested by two New York Detectives. He tried to push his way past our security this morning to get to you. Apparently, he is wanted in conjunction with the robbery and vandalization of your hotel suite in LA last night. Let's take a look at the video."_ Lisa replied.

God, I hope people's TV's are focused on the video and not showing my reaction. I was having a tough time not smiling as I watched Carter being taken away in handcuffs, by Amanda and Carisi, while calling me an Ice Princess and Frigid Bitch again. He was claiming I set him up.

 _"So, Mackayla, any thoughts or comments?"_ Lisa asked me.

 _"I guess I was wrong last night. He found a way to extend his fifteen minutes."_ I replied with a slight smile on my face, causing some of the production crew to laugh in the background.

 _"My last question, Mackayla, is have you found love in Chicago? My sources tell me that even though his face isn't visible, the mystery man in both of these photos is of the same person. And don't give me the I don't kiss and tell line."_ Lisa said as two pictures of Jay and I were shown on a split screen...the one from the night at Lake Michigan in Chicago and the one from the SAG Awards Red-Carpet last night. Oh shit, I thought to myself.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Oh shit, I thought to myself wondering what she was going to say.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

Oh shit. I'm going to kill Halstead if this blows back on Mac the wrong way, I thought to myself, wondering how she was going to answer.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I sighed, smiled and then said...

 _"I've never actually been in love before Lisa. Is it possible to fall in love after only knowing someone for eleven days? Is it possible to fall in love in a New York minute? If the answer to those questions is yes, and I'm not saying it is, but if it is shouldn't he be the first to know?"_

 _"So basically, you don't kiss and tell."_ she replied.

 _"Exactly."_ I said with a grin

 _"Mackayla Kennedy, it has been a pleasure having you here this morning. All of us at the show wish you the best. Come back and see us soon."_ she finished, before cutting to commercial.

Four hours later I was back home on my couch. Jay had been quiet since the interview and didn't say much on the plane or the drive back to my condo. He barely looked at me after he walked me to my door and delivered Hank's message about seeing me tonight. I knew my crazy-ass life would be too much for him, or any non-industry person, to handle. Jenna was right. I need a vacation. It has been years since I took a real vacation. A week on an island sounds like heaven right now. An escape from everything. I pulled out my laptop, looked for a secluded island resort and found one. Peter's Island, off the coast of Tortola. Basically the only thing on the island is the resort. Sounds perfect. A week's vacation before the Oscar's would be wonderful. It would still give me three weeks to shadow Uncle Hank's Unit before the movie began filming.

I texted Jenna and asked her to look into booking the resort for a week. I was planning on leaving a week from today, after I present at the Grammy's. I was anticipating on needing five rooms...one for me, one for Jenna, one for Chris, one for James and one for whoever Hank was bound to send with me. I then texted my agent and my publicist telling them I would present at the Grammy's and would be unavailable the week following.

I texted James next letting him know I needed to go to the District and would be ready to leave in fifteen minutes. I ran into my bedroom and changed out of my dress. I threw on a pair of tight black leggings, a gray v-neck sweater and gray over the knee suede boots along with my short black leather jacket. I headed out of my condo and met James and Chris at the elevator.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

I sat in Voight's office receiving an update on who the Unit believed was working with the Detective from Hollywood. It had been determined when he didn't return to work today that he was Mackayla's rapist and stalker. Hollywood PD was waiting on a warrant to search his house. I looked up from the file and noticed a smile spread across Voight's face. What the fuck, I wondered to myself, until I watched him get up and walk out into the bullpen. Before I could turn around I heard him say, "There's my girl. Congratulations Mackayla. I'm so proud of you. Your parents and Aunt Camille would be so proud of you. That was some speech last night and quite the interview this morning."

I got up and walked out of the office to see Mackayla looking as gorgeous as always. She barely acknowledged me as she graciously accepted the congratulations from the rest of the Unit. I had been quiet on the flight back to Chicago, lost in my own thoughts. I sat down at my desk and thought about the interview she gave and the past weekend. Her world, at least what I experienced of it, was crazy. She had no privacy. There was always someone demanding something from her. I don't know if I'm ready to be with someone who has that type of life. She still hasn't fully processed her attack and here I am seeing pictures of myself plastered on National TV. I wasn't expecting that. Not only that but whether she wants to admit it or not, she is a victim. A victim who had been a virgin up until her attack.

"Well Halstead, what do you think? A week in the islands sounds good to everyone else here so if you're not interested I know Atwater would love to take your spot." Voight said, bringing me back to reality. "Sorry Sarge. What was that about an island?" I asked, wondering what I had missed. If it was what I thought who would I disappoint more if I said no...Voight, Mackayla or myself.


	7. Nightmares & Sweet Dreams In Paradise

**KIM'S P.O.V.**

"Do you think she's okay?" I asked Adam and Kevin from my lounge chair as I watched Mackayla go for another six-mile run on the beach with James and Chris. We had arrived on the island two days ago and Mackayla had been running non-stop. "I don't think she has sat on the beach and actually relaxed for more than two hours." Adam replied.

"I think we need to book an excursion for tomorrow. We need to get her mind off things. Maybe I can ask Jenna to book a snorkeling trip or something. Some sort of private boat thing. She's stressed and I think she expects the paparazzi or her stalker to show up. I'm going to go talk to Jenna now." I told them as I got up from my chair.

As I walked up to the resort to find Jenna I thought about the look of disappointment that had flashed across Mackayla's face when Halstead said he couldn't go to the Grammy's or to the island with us. Something about not having an updated passport, which I know for a fact is complete bullshit.

 **FLASHBACK (9 DAYS AGO)**

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"Sorry Sarge. Don't think I can go. Pretty sure my passport is expired and I don't have enough time to renew it." I lied. I hated myself and didn't dare look at Mackayla. I kept thinking about what Al had said before I went to California with Mackayla...if I didn't think I could handle things then I needed to back off. Yeah, I have really strong feelings for her but she is a victim and she was a virgin before her attack. That and the fact that she is so damn famous is a little too much to handle, I thought to myself.

"Okay then. Burgess, Ruzek and Atwater...pack your summer clothes. I want the three of you to escort Mac to the Grammy's and then you'll head to the Caribbean from there. Dawson and Al will coordinate with the resort's security team. Burgess, Ruzek and Atwater let's head into my office and discuss logistics for the trip." Voight instructed. I watched as Mackayla said good-bye to Hank and headed downstairs without saying a word to me.

"Jay, are you sure about this?" Atwater asked as he followed Kim and Adam into Voight's office. "Not at all but it's what needs to be done right now. Do me a favor...keep her safe for me. Keep your eyes open." I replied.

 **PRESENT DAY**

 **KIM'S P.O.V.**

"Okay. We're all set. We'll leave at 8:00am tomorrow morning. Jenna chartered a boat for the day. Adam, she's going to get you the names of the crew so you can run background checks on them. Kevin, if you want to text Voight and let him know the plan I'll talk to Mackayla, James and Chris when they come back from their run." I told the guys.

An hour later Mackayla, Chris and James were informed of our game plan for tomorrow. It was the first time since we left LAX on a private jet that I saw her really smile. I was hoping it was because she finally stopped looking at the gossip websites. More information and photos of Mackayla's attack had been posted to two websites the morning we left LA.

"Kim, do you have a minute?" Jenna quietly asked a few hours later as the seven of us headed to dinner at Tradewind's Restaurant at the resort. Jenna told me that more photos had been posted earlier today and they were from Mackayla's run on the beach with James and Chris. They had taken a break during their run and as Mackayla was wiping the sweat from her face a photo had been taken. One caption read "Broken Hearted Already? Mackayla Runs Away From Chicago After Chicago's Finest Breaks Her Heart." The second caption read "Mackayla Kennedy Dumped By Chicago Cop And The Ice Princess Heads To The Caribbean To Thaw Out."

"What the fuck!?" I exclaimed. "Does she know?" I asked. "Yeah, she saw them earlier. I'm working with our team to have them taken down." Jenna replied. "Send me the link. We need to figure out how a photographer found out where she is. If they know, then her attacker may know as well. I want her to have a good day tomorrow. After she goes to bed tonight Adam, Kevin and I will talk to James and Chris before we call our Sargent." I said, as we followed the other five into the restaurant.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

"Are you kidding me? How the hell did they find her? You might need to cut the trip short. Go with your plan for tomorrow but I want you all to be armed. If this guy finds her I want her protected. The Hollywood Detective hasn't been found and I think the person he is working with is part of Mackayla's agent's team. That's the only possible lead we have to go on right now. Al and Dawson are running backgrounds on everyone in her agent's office. We got assigned another case so I have Halstead and Upton running point on that one." I said over Skype to Burgess, Ruzek and Atwater.

"Sarge, we're taking split shifts outside her door tonight. One of us will be there at all times along with James or Chris. We'll keep her safe." Atwater assured me before ending the call.

"Shit. I don't like this. There's too many unknown variables." I said to Al. "I don't want to bring her home early unless absolutely necessary, but it might be at that point in the next twenty-four hours." "Hank, let's wait and see. Maybe it was just that Joe guy who snapped the picture and sold it to the websites." Al replied.

"Joe is in LA. We've been running a GPS on his phone. Plus, I don't think he would do anything to hurt Mackayla." Halstead said from my doorway.

"This case, Halstead, is no longer any of your concern. You and Upton can update me on the double homicide when I finish up here." I replied, noticing that Jay looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep lately.

"Hank, cut the kid some slack. You know he's in over his head where Mackayla is concerned. He cares about her more than he is ready to admit to himself and to you right now. He is worried about her. Maybe you let him back in on this one and have Antonio work the double homicide with Upton. See how things go tomorrow...you don't need to decide now." Al suggested.

"I'll think about it. Hopefully we catch this guy soon and life can go back to normal." I replied getting up from my desk and heading out to the bullpen.

"Sarge, please. I heard what Al said. Let me work Mackayla's case. I admit, I made a mistake not going to the Grammy's and to Peter's Island with her. No one more than me, well other than you, wants to make sure this guy gets what is coming to him. Please. Think about it." Halstead said before Upton walked over to update me on their case.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"This is exactly what I needed to get me out of my funk and out of my own head. Thank you for suggesting it to Jenna." I said to Kim as we sunbathed on the front of the yacht Jenna had chartered. We had spent the morning snorkeling and were now headed to a private island where the ship's crew would prepare a barbeque on the beach for lunch. The plan was to return to the boat after lunch where inflatable water slides, a water trampoline and jet skis would be available to us for the remainder of the afternoon. We would finish the day with a sunset cruise around the islands and a four-course dinner on the boat before returning to the resort. The only thing that could have made the day any better was if Jenna hadn't gotten sick and if Jay had been here with us.

"I wanted, well actually Kevin, Adam and I wanted to make sure you were okay. I don't think any of us planned on anything so elaborate when I asked Jenna to book something for today. I was thinking more of a catamaran...not an actual yacht! I'm sorry she wasn't feeling well and decided to stay at the resort." Kim replied.

"Yeah we should actually be thanking you since it was your credit card that paid for all of this." Adam said as he and Kevin joined us. "You're an idiot." Kim said, laughingly, as she dragged him off towards the back of the boat.

"Smooth, bro. Real smooth. Seriously tho, Mackayla, thank you" Kevin said as he handed me a margarita. "You may want to put some sunblock on your back. It's starting to look a little red." "Damn Irish skin." I said as I stood up. "Do you mind?" I asked Kevin as I held out the bottle of sunblock to him. "Uh...yeah...uh..." he replied as he took the lotion. "It's okay Kevin. It's not like I'm stripping in front of you or anything. I just need you to do my back and shoulders. It's not a big deal. Promise." I said as I turned my back to him.

Thirty minutes later we were transported from the yacht to the island by a small boat. The crew had set up a wonderful lunch and as Kim and I sat in our beach chairs and sipped on margaritas in our beach chairs, we watched Kevin and Adam take on James and Chris in a game of beach volleyball. It was nice to see everyone enjoying themselves and having a good time. It was nice to be in a place where there were no photographers to catch me in my black bikini and drinking.

"You know, I'd gladly join your security team if you made me come here once a year. Adam would too." Kim joked. "How long have you and Adam been together?" I asked, honestly interested and waiting to get to know my new friends better. "Off and on for four years now. It's complicated. He was engaged to someone else when we met. Then a year later we were engaged but he wasn't ready to actually take the next step so I called it off. I joined Intelligence a short time later and he took some deep undercover assignment to basically get away from me. He came back and it was off and on before we became more on. We ended up moving in together six months ago." she said.

"Well he's an idiot if he doesn't marry you." I replied getting up from my chair and wading into the water. "This feels so good. I love the water here. So pretty and warm." I yelled to Kim before I started to swim parallel to the shoreline.

 **KIM'S P.O.V.**

I watched Mackayla swim, glad that she was finally relaxed and enjoying herself. "Penny for your thoughts." Adam said, coming up behind me. "Just doing my job. How was your game?" I replied. "They kicked our asses. Just like Halstead is going to do when he sees what Upton just texted me." Kevin said, walking towards us. "What are you talking about?" I asked. He held out his phone to show us a picture of him and Mackayla that had been taken on the yacht. "I was putting sunblock on her but it looks like I'm massaging her shoulders and am about to kiss her neck. I don't know how they even got that photo. It must have been through some long-distance lens or something like that." Kevin said, obviously frustrated. The caption read "Is Mackayla A Badge Bunny Now?" The story was even worse. It basically slut shamed her for no reason.

"Look, she's having a great time today. Send the link to Voight. We're here to protect her. They'll take care of the rest this week at home. There's nothing that can be done now." I replied as we all heard my phone ding. "Fuck! We have to go. Mackayla's suite has been broken into. Jenna was in it, getting some work done when the guy broke in. She locked herself in the bathroom and contacted hotel security. She's okay but shaken up. Voight wants Mackayla back in Chicago ASAP." I said, not realizing Mackayla had walked up the beach with Chris and James and was in earshot.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"I'm not leaving the islands. I'm not letting him chase me out of paradise. Chris, I'll arrange to have you take Jenna to her parent's house in Phoenix for the rest of the week. I want you to stay with her. If she saw him, then he'll be out to get her. James, find whichever photographer is that is currently stalking me on the island. As long as it's not either of the sites I'm suing then let him into my suite. Show him what has been done and let him photograph it as long as the website agrees to print the truth. Let's go back to the yacht. I'm going to book them for a private charter thru the islands for the next four days. Hopefully, they're available. With three cabins on board we can make it work." I instructed.

I tried to appear confident but I was angry and scared. I was even more frightened when I saw the message written across the window of my suite. In my favorite lipstick it said "Armageddon Is Coming For You. See You Soon My Love." I shuddered just thinking about it.

"Mackayla, I have your Uncle on the laptop for you. He's on Skype." Kim said a few hours later as we cruised away from Peter's Island.

"Mac, I wish you would come home." my Uncle said to me, with concern clearly written across his face. "It's only four more days, Uncle Hank. He can't get to me in the middle of the ocean. Plus, I have James, Kim, Adam and Kevin attached to me at the hip. I'll be safer here on the boat than I would be in Chicago. You know that's true. I feel horrible that Jenna was so scared and put in danger. I'm relieved knowing she is on her way home and Chris is with her." I said trying to keep a serene look on my face.

"I know you're right. Try to relax and have some fun. I'll see you at O'Hare when you land on Monday night. Let me talk to Burgess again. I love you Mac." he replied. "Love you too. Be safe." I said as I handed the laptop back to Kim and walked out of the inner salon and onto the upper back deck of the yacht.

I need to stay positive and believe Uncle Hank is going to catch this psycho, I thought to myself as I sat looking out over the ocean. "Excuse me, Ms Kennedy? Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Laura, the Chief Stew, asked as she approached me with Jeff, the Yacht's Bosun. "I wouldn't mind a glass of Pinot Grigio. I guess we should think about dinner since we postponed the original menu until tomorrow night. I'm pretty sure everyone likes Italian. Could the Chef do a low-key family-style Italian menu tonight? Maybe more comfort food than formal cuisine?" I replied. After Laura returned with my wine and confirming an Italian dinner she said she would see the five of us at 9:00pm for dinner. Jeff then asked if his team should have the water activities ready to use the next day after breakfast. After letting him know it sounded like a good idea I texted Jay. I understood him not wanting to date me right now but I hoped he would still want to be friends. I snapped a picture of my legs dangling over the boat's edge, above the turquoise colored ocean water.

 _Bet the weather is nicer here than in Chicago. Be safe chasing the bad guys. Wish you all were here with us. - MK_

By the time I met everyone up on the back deck for dinner I still hadn't heard back from Jay. I was hoping he was busy with work and not avoiding me. "Wow! Kim you look beautiful!" I exclaimed as she and Adam walked out onto the deck. Dressed in a light blue halter style dress and cork wedges she looked amazing. "I've seen Below Deck on Bravo. I know how people dress for dinners on yacht's like this." she said, making us laugh.

As we took our seats at the table I asked if the Captain was joining us for dinner. The table had been set for six people and there was only five of us. "Not tonight. He will be joining you tomorrow night." Laura, the Chief Stew, replied as her staff set platters of fried calamari and antipasto on the table for us to enjoy. "Who is the empty seat for then?" I asked. "It's for me." a voice said, from behind me.

"Jay!" I exclaimed as I rose from my seat. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?" I asked, surprised and unsure as to what was going on. "I'll explain all that later but there's something I've been wanting to do for the past ten days." he said, as he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

An hour and a half later, as Mackayla and I sat at the table on the back deck of the yacht I knew I had made the right choice in talking to Voight. I had packed a suitcase and put it in my truck before heading to work that morning. I just needed his okay. As difficult as it had been for him to hear I had fallen in love with his niece, he had given me the okay. Well an okay to head down here along with a warning. Thanks to my PD credentials I was able to catch the first flight to the British Virgin Islands where Atwater had arranged for a water taxi to bring me to where the yacht was anchored for the evening.

Tonight, was a special night on many levels and there was no way I was going to miss it, I thought to myself with a smile. "You look like the cat that ate the canary with that grin on your face. What are you up to?" Mackayla asked softly, her dimples showing and blue eyes twinkling. I took her hand in mine and lead her from her seat to where Atwater and James stood at the rail overlooking the deck below. "Watch." I replied, pointing to where Ruzek was on one knee in front of Burgess.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

My eyes filled with tears as I watched and listened to Adam profess his love for Kim. He talked about past mistakes and new beginnings. He told her if she agreed to become his wife then he promised they would pick a wedding date tonight. He said he wanted her to become his wife as soon as possible. I felt the tears fall as I was overcome with such happiness for my friend. We all clapped and cheered as Adam slipped the diamond on Kim's ring finger after she said yes. I then dragged Jay, Kevin and James back to the table so the newly engaged couple could have a few moments of privacy.

When Kim and Adam rejoined us, the staff passed glasses of champagne. I hugged Kim and admired her ring. I hugged Adam and told him I would have James kick his ass if he fucked up this time. I then seriously congratulated him and told them both how happy I was for them.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

A few hours later it was just Mackayla and I on the lower back deck. We were sharing a bottle of champagne, sitting on the edge of the boat, letting our feet dip below the water's edge. She looked happy but exhausted. "You should get some sleep. Sounds like there is quite a bit happening tomorrow after breakfast." I said as I stood up and pulled her to her feet. She smiled, almost shyly at me, and as we walked to her cabin I realized why. Burgess and Ruzek had one cabin and James was sharing the cabin that had two beds with Atwater. Shit...sleeping arrangements never crossed my mind. I had been in such a hurry to get to her...to see for myself that she was okay. I never thought about the lack of beds. Looks like I'm crashing on the couch for the next few nights. Oh well...I've slept in worse places...


	8. Reality Or Make Believe?

**MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

The next few weeks flew by. My days were a combination of total elation and complete frustration. I won my first Oscar and Jay attended the award show as my date. My attacker still has not been caught and Uncle Hank thinks that the stalker may be actually working with someone from my past. The Intelligence Unit doesn't seem to have any new leads other than that. Since we returned from the islands Jay has been staying in my condo, in my bed almost every night. But other than kissing and cuddling nothing else was happening between us. He seems intent on keeping things at a PG-13 level...WTF!? It is beyond frustrating but I can't think about that now. Filming for my new movie is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 10:00am and my call time for hair, makeup and wardrobe is at 7:30am.

"You're sure you don't want me to stay tonight?" Jay asked as we cleaned up from our Thursday night dinner. It has become pretty much routine for me to cook on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night's if he wasn't working late. "Yeah. I need to review my scenes for tomorrow and will hopefully be in bed by 10:00pm. Plus, I'll be up early so I can get a run in before I have to head to the set." I replied thinking I want him to stay but I need to focus on work. "To be honest, with all the rewrites and the new direction this film is taking I'm not 100% comfortable in this role. I'm afraid I will be too distracted and unfocused due to everything I've dealt with over the past two months." I told him not wanting to fully elaborate about the rewrites and the new addition to the cast.

"Mackayla, I'm sure you'll be amazing as always. I'm going to head out. Text me tomorrow when you have time. I'll want to know how it's going. I'll stop by to let James and Chris know I'm leaving and they're on duty tonight." Jay said before kissing me and walking out the door.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

It was almost 6:00pm and I still haven't heard from Mackayla today. It was more than a little unnerving when my brother, Will, texted me saying he had seen her at Med today. She had been filming scenes there. Scenes that, according to Will, had Mackayla looking like she had been beat up. He said the makeup and fake blood made it look as if she was severely injured. It's not something I like hearing and I know Voight wouldn't like it either. I was just about to text Mackayla when my phone buzzed.

 _Hi. Hope you've had a good day. I have 4 or 5 more hours before I'm finally done for the day. Hope to catch up with you tomorrow or the next day. - MK_

What the fuck!? I knew she was going to be busy but thought I'd get more than a generic text from her. Before I could respond Burgess stopped at my desk. "You don't look happy. Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Just not sure how things with Mackayla and I are gonna go while she's filming. Will said she looked beat up today...well her character looked beat up. And her hours are crazy...crazier than ours." I replied. I was frustrated. We all were. We still hadn't caught, Tom Robertson, the Hollywood Detective, who it had been determined was indeed Mackayla's stalker and attacker.

"Just don't be afraid to let her know you care. Send her a message letting her know you are thinking of her. We're heading to Molly's. You coming?" Kim said as she put her jacket on. "Yeah. I'll meet you there in a bit." I replied as I began to type a text.

 _Hope day 1 is going well. Will said he saw you and your injuries looked authentic. Missed holding you last night. Text whenever you get home so I know you are safe. - JH_

"Yo, Halstead! Where's your girl?" Stella yelled from behind the bar as I walked into Molly's. "She's at work." I replied as I grabbed a beer and headed to the table where my Unit sat. "You hear from Mackayla at all today?" Upton asked as I sat down. "Yeah. She's still filming. I know she's been stressed about rewrites and script changes. She hasn't gone into much detail about it tho." I replied.

"This place is crowded. More crowded than usual on a Friday." Antonio said as he and Sylvie approached our table. "I heard some of the crew from the movie has been hanging out in here since they got into town. It's their home away from home for the next month or so." Sylvie replied.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Ruzek asked as we all watched, in disbelief, as Carter Jones strolled into Molly's. "I don't know but he is definitely not welcome here." Gabby said as she handed a beer to Antonio and a glass of wine to Sylvie. "You need help kicking him out?" Atwater asked as I found myself once again wanting to punch Carter in the face. "I'll let you know." Gabby replied as she walked over to where Carter stood at the bar.

We watched in silence as Gabby told him to leave. When he started to give her a hard time Severide and Casey backed her up. After he left they came back over to the table. "Turns out Carter Jones is playing the guy stalking Mackayla's character in the movie." Severide told us.

"Are you kidding me? She has a stalker in the movie? She just can't catch a break, can she?" Antonio said. "Someone should text Voight to let him know." Burgess said. "I'm on it." I replied, pulling out my phone.

 _Sarge. We just ran into Carter Jones at Molly's. He's in the movie as her stalker. Did you know about this? - JH_

I then texted Mackayla...

 _Carter made an appearance at Molly's. Didn't know he was in town and playing your stalker. This must be one of the rewrites. Why didn't you tell me? Let me know if you need to talk. - JH_

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

It was almost 11:00pm when I looked at not only the text message from Jay but messages from Uncle Hank, Kim, Atwater and Carter. I had just learned two days before that Carter was now in the movie and was playing my character's stalker. I figured I would tell Uncle Hank at Sunday dinner. I was planning on telling Jay tomorrow night. They were both unhappy as was most of the Unit. The messages from Kim and Kevin expressed both concern and displeasure. Carter's message was him bitching about being kicked out of Molly's. I could care less about him. I did care about Jay so I sent him a text as I hopped into the SUV Chris was driving.

 _Are you still at Molly's? - MK_

 _Yup – JH_

Oh shit. He's not happy. Thankfully my call time isn't until 3:00pm tomorrow afternoon so I told Chris and James to take me to Molly's.

I walked into a very busy Molly's. I grabbed a beer from Otis at the bar before walking over to Jay. "Hi." I said, almost hesitantly, as I approached the table he shared with Kevin and Adam. "Why didn't you tell me?" Jay asked. "Do we have to talk about this here?" I responded quietly, trying to avoid be overheard. "No, we don't. I'll take you home and we can talk about it there." He said, obviously agitated. Shit...this isn't good I thought to myself as I followed an annoyed Jay out to his truck.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

She looks exhausted and stressed I thought to myself as we walked into her condo. Neither of us had said a word since we left Molly's. "I need to shower and then we can talk." Mackalya told me before walking down the hall into her bedroom. Shortly after the water turned on in the master bath there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find James standing on the other side of it. "Hey man. I'm sorry to interrupt but Carter is outside the building causing a scene. Several tenants have already complained to building security." he told me.

I walked out to the balcony and looked down to see Carter drinking a beer while yelling obscenities about Mackayla. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called the District. I spoke with the Desk Sargent on duty and told him to roll a squad car to Mackayla's address for a public intoxication and drunken disorderly. Ten minutes later James and I watched, with smiles on our faces, as Carter was handcuffed and put in the back of the squad car.

"What's going on?" Mackayla asked when she joined us on the balcony. I filled her in and was surprised and not at all pleased by her reaction. She turned to her bodyguard and said, "James, will you please excuse us?" After he walked out of the condo and it was just Mackayla and I in the living room she turned to me with cold eyes and anger evident in her tone. "What the fuck Jay? You had him arrested in front of the paparazzi that hang out in front of my building? Do you realize this will be all over the gossip sites in a matter of minutes? I didn't know until Wednesday that he was in the movie. I found out when I received the rewrites. I was planning on telling you tomorrow night and Uncle Hank on Sunday. Now we will most likely have to shoot around him for the next two days until his arraignment on Monday. Jesus, Jay! Do you have any idea what you've done?" she ranted.

"Mackayla, I was trying, like always, to protect you and keep you safe. It's my job." I stated not realizing what my words implied. Not realizing that last sentence was going to change everything.

"Your job? Is that all I'm ever going to be to you? Part of your job? Are you ever going to not see me as a victim? Is that why you haven't done anything other than kiss me? Because you continue to see me as a victim? Jesus, Jay. I thought we had moved, or at least were moving past that. I really believed or assumed we were in an actually relationship. I mean why else have you been here almost every night for the past three weeks. Was it just part of your job?" she replied, looking and sounding completely dejected by the time she finished.

"Mackayla..." I started before she cut me off. "I think you should just go Jay. I've had a long day and Chris will be here with James to keep me safe. That's actually what they get paid to do. It's their job." she said walking towards the front door and holding it open for me. "Good night Detective." she said in an emotionless voice.

"Mackayla..." I said again. Looking for the words. Wanting to tell her she was mostly wrong and I was in love with her. But she was partially right...I did still see her as a victim. "Get some sleep. We'll finish this conversation tomorrow." I said, kissing the top of her head as I walked out the door.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

After Jay left I crawled into bed. I kept replaying our conversation over and over again in my head. Exhaustion finally, and thankfully, took over and I fell asleep. I woke up on Saturday morning to multiple missed calls, text messages and social media alerts. None of the calls or text were from Jay.

"Mackayla?" I heard James call from the kitchen. "What's up?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen wearing sweats and my glasses. "It's 10:00am. You're two hours late for our run." he said looking concerned.

"I'm skipping the run today. I'm not filming today either since it's too late to shoot around Carter's scenes. I'm going back to bed. I'll text you if I decide I want or need to go out at all." I said before walking down the hall and back into my bedroom. I closed the door, crawled back into my bed and shut my eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

When I woke up it was almost 4:30pm. I couldn't believe it. I never sleep this much. I texted Gabby, Sylvie and Stella asking if they were interested in a girl's night. They were all on duty until the next morning. That gave me an idea. I decided I would bring the crew at 51 dinner before heading out with Jenna for girl's night. I got up and showered. I straightened my curly red hair and loved how long and shiny it looked. After applying my makeup I ordered ten large deep dish pizzas from Lou Malnati's. I then slipped into a black strapless body-hugging mini dress and put on over the knee suede gray boots. I added platinum rings to each hand before putting on my long dangly platinum and diamond earrings. I slipped into a long gray leather jacket and headed out the door where Chris and James were waiting for me.

"It's going to be a long night with you looking the way you do. We're going to have a hard time keeping guys away from you." James said, after he saw what I was wearing. "The Detective won't be happy." He said as we rode the elevator down to the parking garage.

I ignored him and climbed into the back of the SUV. We picked up the pizzas and made the drive to 51, arriving just before 7:00pm. "What's all this?" Hermann asked as James and Chris carried the pizzas inside. "Dinner. Thought you'd all enjoy some good pizza tonight." I replied with a smile.

"Damn girl! Look at you. You're looking hot tonight. Big date?" Stella asked. "Girl's night with Jenna." I replied. "Was hoping to get the tour after I snag a slice of pizza." I told her.

An hour later I got back into the SUV and Chris drove to pick up Jenna. The first stop of the evening was J9 Wine Bar. We were there for only one drink before the paparazzi found me. The followed us to the Vintage Lounge where the crowd and paparazzi combination was a little too much to handle. "Looks like Molly's is going to be the best option." I said as we got back into the SUV. "At least no one will bother you there." Jenna said. "Have you seen how she's dressed? She'd be hit on in church if she was there looking like that." James said, not sounding happy.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into Molly's was the absence of the Intelligence Unit. Maybe they had been assigned a new case and were working I thought to myself as I surprised everyone by ordering a shot of Patron and a beer. "There's pictures of you from tonight all over the websites." Jenna told me. "No work tonight. Fun only." I instructed before walking over to the bar to get another shot.

"Buy you a drink?" a handsome dark-haired guy asked me as I stood next to him at the bar. "Sure. Thanks." I said smiling at him. "I'm Connor." he said as he handed me my shot. "Nice to meet you Connor. I'm Mackayla." I said before downing my shot.

"I recognized you. I've seen you in here a few times and yesterday you filmed where I work." he told me. "You work at Med? What do you do?" I asked. "I'm a Doctor." he replied.

"Don't pretend to actually be modest Connor." a voice I recognized said from behind us. "He's a surgeon. One of the best cardio-thoracic surgeons in the country." "Hey Will." I said in greeting to Jay's brother. "Where's Nat?" I asked, scanning the bar. "At home with Owen. I'm meeting my brother here." he replied. "Well I should be going. thanks for the drink Connor. Enjoy your night Will." I said, flashing them a smile before heading back to my table.

"We have to go." I said to James, Chris and Jenna. "Jay's on his way and I don't want to see him right now." I said as we made our way towards the door. "Hey Mackayla! You forgot something." I heard Connor call out as I was about to climb into the SUV. "Give me a minute." I said to James. "What did I forget?" I asked the extremely good-looking doctor. "You forgot to give me your number." he said as he held his phone out to me. "I don't normally give out my number to people I don't know. Not even to good looking surgeons." I said, apologetically, as I felt myself blush. He was obviously interested in me.

"Do you have plans for tomorrow?" he asked softly. "Family dinner at 4:00pm but that's about it." I replied, wishing Jay would see me the way Connor obviously did...as a woman and not as a victim. "Have brunch with me then...since you can't do dinner." he replied. "I'll pick you up at 11:00am."he told me after I said yes. "You'll need my address. I can at least put that in your phone." I told him. "Mackayla, everyone in Chicago knows where you live. Get home safely. I'll see you in the morning." he said as he lightly brushed his lips over mine. Before I could say another word, he turned and headed back into Molly's.

That's when I noticed Jay, standing across the street by his truck. That's also when I noticed the photographers. "Fuck." I said quietly.

"Jay..." I said as I walked over to him. "Not here. I'm not having this conversation with you out in public. Get in the truck." he hissed as he opened the passenger door. He then walked over, spoke with James and returned minutes later with my clutch and cell phone.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

My heart started racing when I saw Mackayla walk out of Molly's. She looked unbelievably hot. At that moment I looked at her as the woman I loved and not a victim. But I became infuriated when I saw Connor Rhodes approach her and kiss her. She and I were going to talk about everything tonight.

I pulled into her garage and we silently rode the elevator up to her floor. We walked into her condo and I lead the way into the living room. That's when I told her how I felt.

"Mackayla, you weren't entirely correct last night. I don't always see you as a victim. I usually see you as the woman who has become very important to me...the woman I've fallen in love with. I know you were a virgin before your attack and I respect you enough not to push you. I don't want to do anything to cause you hurt or pain. And I want to hurt anyone who causes you the slightest bit of pain. This world you live in is crazy and it's hard to figure out at times what is reality and what is make believe. But I'll tell you what my reality is...it's how I feel about you. I love you Mackayla." I said.

"Jay, I love you too." She replied. "You took my breath away and made my heart skip a beat when we first met. I felt something for you, and it wasn't just annoyance because you were insulting me. I am unbelievably embarrassed you know I was still a virgin before my attack. Jay, you should have been my first. You're my first love and I want you to show me what it's supposed to be like. Make love to me Jay." she said as she stood up and held out her hand to me. I let her lead the way to her bedroom, closing the door behind us.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I was nervous but hoped it didn't show. Jay laid me back on the bed as he slowly unzipped my boots and removing them. He then pulled me back to my feet.

"Beautiful Mackayla." he murmured before kissing me. I felt him run his hands thru my hair as his mouth worked its way from my mouth to my neck to the valley of my cleavage that was exposed thanks to the low cut of my strapless dress. His mouth made its way back to mine and he eventually pulled back, breaking the kiss.

"Are you sure you are ready for this?" he asked, his voice sounding husky. He looked at me with such intensity...with such need and want in his eyes that all I could do is nod.

His hands made their way to my hips and I felt him lift my dress up. He pulled it up over my head and before I knew it I was standing in front of him in only a sheer black lace thong. He sharply breathed in as he looked me up and down, once again telling me how beautiful I am.

I then pulled his shirt over his head before my fingers unbuttoned his jeans. I was shaking with nerves and anticipation. Within minutes we were both completely naked laying on my bed. Jay rolled me onto my back as his mouth and hands made their way to my exposed nipple. I moaned with pleasure as he sucked on one while he took the other between his fingers.

As his mouth made his way back to mine again he squeezed my bare breast with one hand as the other made its way between my legs. I was very wet and extremely aroused. As Jay's mouth ravished mine he proceeded to stroke my clit causing me to orgasm before his fingers even penetrated me. As they did I came all over his two fingers that were torturing me beyond the brink of pleasure. As he pulled back and looked at me the grin on his face spoke volumes mainly telling me that he was going to fuck me senseless. As I begged him to fuck me I felt his rock-hard cock enter me and all I can say is **WOW**. When I thought I couldn't take it anymore I rolled Jay over to his back and climbed on top of him. As I started moving up and down on his cock I arched my back as spasm after spasm rolled over me leaving a warming vibration in its wake that started between my legs and flowed towards my toes and up my torso hardening my already taut nipples. As he made sure I came first he buried his face in the hollow of my neck and moaned with great relief as he finally allowed his own release.

Later, as I laid wrapped in Jay's arms I was filled with a euphoric-like feeling. I was filled with such happiness and satisfaction. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. "Everything happens for a reason and for some reason I was meant to move back to Chicago and meet you. I love you Jay." I replied, pausing for a moment before asking "Come to Sunday dinner with me tomorrow?" "How do you think your Uncle will feel about having one of his Detective's at family dinner?" he replied. "Guess we'll find out tomorrow." I said before lifting my head to kiss him.

We must have fallen asleep because I woke up when I felt something cold pressed against my temple. I opened my eyes, knowing I was still in Jay's arms, but was looking into the unmasked face of my attacker. He held his finger up to his lips as he moved the gun away from my head and pointed it at Jay.

"No!" I screamed, unable to help myself. I dove trying to push the gun out of his hand, but it went off, thankfully missing Jay. He later would tell me my scream woke him up giving him the opportunity to move before the gun was fired.

My attacker ran out of the bedroom and disappeared into the night. Within thirty minutes Uncle Hank, Al and Antonio were in my condo. "It was him. It was Tom Roberston from LA. I can't figure out how he got in. The condo door was locked and the elevator security code to access this floor has been changed every week." Jay told them.

"You may want to have a look at the balcony door. We checked the roof. It looks like he propelled his way down and went back up the same way. It's only a distance of one floor so it's relatively easy for an experienced climber." James said as he and Chris joined us in my living room.

From my seat on the couch I wanted Antonio and Al walk over to the door leading out onto my balcony. Sure enough there was evidence proving the lock had been tampered with. My Uncle took one look and said "That's it. Mac, go pack a bag. You're coming home with me." "Uncle Hank. Please. It's late. It's 3:00am. He's not coming back tonight. I'll have either James or Chris stay in my condo." I pleaded with him. I needed to have my breakdown in private and didn't want him to worry about me more than he already was.

"Sarge, if you don't need me tonight then I'll plan on staying with Mackayla as well." Jay told my Uncle from his spot on the couch next to me. "Fine. Al, we'll discuss options at the District at 10:00am tomorrow morning. Halstead, I expect you there as well. Antonio, contact the rest of the Unit and let them all know to be at the District by 10:00am. Mac, I'm leaving uniforms posted at your door and in the lobby. You call me if you need anything. Try to get some sleep. I love you." he told me before he left.

We went back to bed but neither of us could really sleep. I was still awake at 5:30am. I could hear the steady rhythm of Jay's breathing so I knew he had finally fallen asleep. I quietly got out of bed and changed into running clothes. I walked out to the kitchen where James was reading a book. "Do you want to go with me or do you want to wake Chris?" I asked him. "I'm awake. I'll let Chris sleep. Give me five minutes to change. I'll come back in and get you." he told me. I wrote Jay a note and left it on my pillow. I didn't want him to worry if he woke up before I returned from my run.

"Do you want to talk about it?" James asked as we rode the elevator down to the lobby of my building. "About what? About Jay and I almost dying last night? Not really." I replied as we headed out the door into the dark, chilly March morning. "Mac, it's not good to hold it all inside. You know I'm always here to listen when you're ready to talk." he reminded me. "Thank you." I said. For the first time in six years I could help but wish he didn't know me so well. He was right. I needed to talk to someone. I also needed this nightmare to be over. We continued our run, in silence, and as we walked back into the condo he said, "Don't forget to cancel your date with the Doctor. Pretty sure the Detective won't be happy if you still go." "Shit! I forgot all about Connor. I don't have his number. I'll text Gabby in a bit. Maybe she has it." I replied.

A couple of hours later I had showered and was reviewing lines for the scenes I'd be filming the next day when Jenna walked in. "You're up early on a Sunday. It's your day off. What's up?" I asked, looking at the large manila envelope in her hand. "Ugh...I'm sorry I asked. Let me guess...more script changes. This is out of control." I said.

I took the envelope and began flipping thru the pages. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I yelled after a few minutes, causing Chris to rush into the living room. "What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, unsure what to do as he saw the tears running down my face.

"The script changes." I whispered. "Last night's incident in my bedroom is in the new script. How can this be happening? The line between reality and make believe no longer exists." I told him as I picked up the phone to call my Uncle.


	9. Chaos

**HANK'S P.O.V.**

"I'm sending Upton and Atwater to come get you. No, have James and Chris take the afternoon off. They've earned it. They can go back on duty tonight when I drive you home after dinner. Bring the script and the envelope with you. We'll get to the bottom of this." I told Mac before ending the call.

Shit, this isn't good. Either someone related to the movie was working with Robertson or he is able to somehow gain access to script changes before they are delivered to the cast. Based on what Mac just described to me, Carter Jones is supposed to put a gun to her head tomorrow. Jesus…

I walked out of my office and into the bullpen, where my team was all working on a Sunday. The one day I always tried to make sure they had off, but I couldn't afford to give them that luxury right now. "Listen up. Atwater and Upton, I need you to go get Mackayla and bring her here. Don't bring her in thru the front. Drive around to the cage door and bring her up the back stairs. Dawson, Burgess, Ruzek and Halstead it's time to go round up the movie's director, writers, Mac's agent and publicist who are all in town. Bring them all in for questioning. One of them was behind last night's attack or is somehow involved. Mac just got script changes for tomorrow and one scene is a replica of what happened in her bedroom last night. Any questions? Good…get moving then." I instructed before walking back into my office.

I had just sat at my desk when Al walked in with Halstead behind him. "Sarge…" Jay started. "She's okay Halstead. She'll be here when you get back. Just do your job. I want this asshole and anyone who is helping him found and locked up before things escalate any further." I told him. "Okay. Tell her I'll be back as soon as possible." he responded before walking back out to the bullpen where Ruzek was waiting for him.

"The kid is in deep where Mackayla is concerned. Hope he will be able to keep a level head. Hope you will too when we catch this guy. Speaking of guys and, specifically, guys from her past do we know which rock that lowlife, Shaw, crawled under?" Al said from the chair across my desk.

"Funny you should ask. I was sure I had run him out of my city but Justin mentioned he thought he saw Shaw the other night. He wasn't 100% sure tho. See if you can dig a little. Find out if he is in town. If he's involved he isn't the brains behind this. He was never smart enough to pull something like this off on his own. Obviously he's dumb enough to try something but he would never have the brains to come up with the plan on his own. Al, I need to know if Rob Shaw has any connection to Tom Robertson from LA." I responded.

I was dreading having to bring his name up to Mackayla. Before Al or I could say another word there was a knock on my door. I signed as I motioned for A.S.A. Peter Stone to enter my office. "What's he doing here on a Sunday?" Al asked quietly before the door opened.

"Hank. Al. Sorry to interrupt." Stone said in greeting as he took a seat in the empty chair next to Al. "Counselor. What brings you to the 21st on a Sunday?" I asked. "Well when the Hollywood big-shots from your niece's movie are being brought in for questioning my day off gets cancelled. Want to bring me up to speed so I know what's going on? This way I can have my office prepare any necessary warrants." he replied.

Al and I filled him in. "Look Hank, I get that she's your niece and this is a high profile case, but we need to make sure this is done by the book. The numbers need to add up when this case comes across my desk. I heard she is dating one of your Detectives. Is that going to be a problem or a conflict of interest for Detective Halstead?" he replied.

"Nope. Not at all. Everything will be by the book." I said, standing as I noticed Mac walking thru the bullpen with Upton and Atwater. "Stone, let me introduce you to Mackayla Kennedy. Mac, this is Assistant State's Attorney, Peter Stone." I said, making the introduction when Mac walked into my office.

"Ms. Kennedy. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry it's under these circumstances. Here's my card. Please don't hesitate to contact me directly if you need anything." he said, holding Mac's hand a little too long for my liking.

"Thanks for coming by Stone. I'll walk you out." Al said preventing the A.S.A. from saying anything else to my niece. Apparently, Al didn't like the way Stone looked at Mac either.

"Mac…" I said as I gave her a hug. "I'm okay Uncle Hank." she replied. "Here's the envelope with the script changes." she said handing me the large manila envelope. "Mackayla, we are going to discuss everything in detail one of these days. You can't keep it bottle dup. If you do it could turn into a situation like your Senior Prom." I told her, not wanting to bring up hurtful memories, but needing to stress the importance of talking about what she has been through. "Have you talked to Halstead about any of it?" I asked, pressing on. "Uncle Hank. Please, don't." she whispered as her bright blue eyes filled with tears.

"Uh, excuse me. Sarge? We have everyone set up in the interview rooms. Do you want us to start or wait for you?" Ruzek asked, obviously overhearing more than Mack or I preferred.

"Dawson, you and I are starting with the director. Ruzek and Burgess take a shot with the two writers. Atwater and Upton have the publicist and Al will take Mac's agent." I instructed from the doorway of my office.

"What about me?" Halstead asked. "Jay, you were an intended target last night. You know I can't let you question anyone about this part of the investigation. You're too close and too involved. I need you to talk to Mac about her High School Senior Prom. Find out if there is a link between this Detective Robertson from Hollywood PD and Rob Shaw from Chicago." I replied.

I looked at Mac, who had gone even paler than normal at the mention of his name. "Uncle Hank…" she started. "No Mackayla. We need to explore the possibility. I have a job to do and so do you." I told her, regretfully sounding harsher than I intended. Not looking back I walked down the hall to the room where Mac's director was waiting with Antonio.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"Who is Rob Shaw?" Jay asked me, obviously confused. I sighed, sat down in the chair next to his desk and told him about my past.

"He was the Prom King when I was elected Queen my Senior Year of High School. He was Quarterback of the football team, popular and good looking. On the outside he was the picture of the All-American Athlete who would probably go on to be a politician. He received a full ride to play football at Notre Dame. He had been after me for almost a year but I always said no. He made me really uncomfortable for some reason. Every girl in school wanted to date him. Well, every girl but me and I knew it bothered him. I had become a challenge to him of sorts. For some reason no other guy dared to cross him and ask me to Prom. My friend, Donna, convinced me to say yes to Rob. She told me I was most likely going to be elected Queen and I couldn't be dateless." I paused, remembering the painful memories. I got up to grab a Diet Coke from the vending machine in the hallway outside the bullpen.

I returned to Jay's desk to find him sitting there with a box of tissues. I smiled and kissed him before taking my seat. "What was that for?" he asked. "For being so sweet and for caring. I won't need the tissues tho. I've shed more than enough tears over Rob Shaw." I replied. "Well finish telling me about Prom. Hopefully it will be the last time we need to talk about Rob Shaw." he said.

"My Aunt Camille had already passed away the year before. I didn't go to Junior Prom so this was kind of a big deal. Uncle Hank enlisted Trudy's help. She took me dress shopping. Well, Trudy and Meredith Olinsky, Al's ex who he was still married to at the time, took me shopping." I paused, grinning as Jay began to laugh. "You may not see it or notice it but ten years ago Trudy's fashions sense was on point. She picked out a gorgeous backless black sequin gown with spaghetti straps and a slit up the right leg. It was gorgeous. I don't think I had ever felt so beautiful in my entire life. I had my hair and makeup professionally done for the first time ever. Uncle Hank told me I looked like a princess." I told him, smiling at the memory.

"Hank was right. You did look like a princess. He was so proud of the young woman you had become and of your early acceptance into NYU. Halstead, the picture I took of Mackayla and Hank before she left that night has always been one of my favorites but he never framed it." Al said as he walked into the bullpen. "Tell him the rest. He needs to hear it all Mackayla because it's looking more and more that Rob Shaw is somehow involved. It may have been ten years ago but you need to face the reality of what happened that night wasn't your fault. Tell him." Al instructed before disappearing back down the hallway.

I knew Al was right but it's not a night I liked talking or thinking about. Up until the night of December 27th it had been the worst night of my life. "Mackayla…" Jay said softly bringing me back to reality. "Sorry. Got lost in my own head for a minute." I replied. Taking a deep breath I continued on…

"Yes, Uncle Hank told me I looked like a princess and I definitely felt like one until the dance was over. That's when a drunk Rob Shaw and two of his football buddies tried to rape me in a parking lot around the corner from Hank's house. My dress had been shredded to pieces and my lip was bleeding from where Rob had hit me. If Justin hadn't been drinking in the park across the street with his friends I would have been gang raped. Justin didn't think twice when he heard a female scream. He didn't know it was me when he heard the scream. He just ran in my direction. When he saw it was me and saw my dress along with the blood he beat the shit out of Rob. He took a metal pipe and smashed Rob's throwing hand. Then Justin took me home to Uncle Hank." I finished, deciding that was all Jay needed to know.

"Mackayla…" Al interrupted again from the doorway. "It's not important Al. It was ten years ago. No need to keep reliving it. I need to get some air." I said before turning around and walking downstairs.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

An hour later I was putting a picture of Rob Show next to the photo of Tom Robertson on the board. "Okay. It turns out Rob Shaw, under the alias of Ryan Samuels, has done security on Mackayla's last four films. He and Tom Robertson both worked on a part-time basis for the studio. Robertson moonlighted as a security guard and we believe the two of them bonded over their infatuation with Mackayla. Rob's need for revenge against Mackayla, Justin and Voight has developed into an obsession. He blames them for his inability to play football because of the damage to his hand that Justin shattered. He also blames them for the scholarship he lost due to his arrest after he attacked Mackayla ten years ago." I told the rest of the Unit.

I wanted to kill them both. Rob Shaw attempted to take away Mackayla's innocence when she was eighteen. As a result she practically became a recluse. She didn't go to her high school graduation. She didn't go to NYU. She lived at Voight's while she attended college in Chicago. She went to class and then went home. She didn't date. She lost touch with her high school friends. Then ten years later, days after her twenty-eight birthday, Tom Robertson brutally took away her choice and violated her as an adult.

"Listen up." Voight said, jarring me out of my thoughts. "I want to hit the ground running first thing tomorrow morning so I want you all to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow I want to you to reach out to your C.I.'s. Someone knows where these two are hiding. I want to find them no matter what it takes."

"Halstead…" he began, walking over to my desk. "What's up Sarge?" I replied. "Mac mentioned she invited you to dinner tonight." he stated with an odd expression on his face. "Uh, yeah…about that…" I said, completely unsure how to continue. "Dinner on Sunday's is normally at 4:00pm. It's going to be later today since we have been here all day. I'm making a roast beef. You can bring a couple of bottles of a good Cabernet or Merlot. I trust you'll bring Mac over at 5:30pm and drive her home after dinner." he told me. I just nodded. "I'll see you later then. Good night to the rest of you." he said before walking downstairs to where Platt and burgess were keeping an eye on Mackayla.

"Family dinner at Voight's, huh Halstead!?" Ruzek asked. "Yeah, does that mean you'll be putting a ring on it?" Atwater followed up. "You know he doesn't like you all that much so be careful he doesn't poison you." Dawson said. "All right. That's enough. Take off so I can give Halstead advice on how to survive a Voight family dinner." Al said, getting into the mix.

I tried to ignore them and didn't look up until I heard the sound of Mackayla laughing as she reached the top of the stairs. "I'm sure he'll survive just fine. As long as he brings the right kind of wine." she teased, with her eyes twinkling and her dimples showing.

"Oh! You too!?" I exclaimed, walking over to her. "Keep it up and there won't be anymore of this." I said, before taking her into my arms and kissing her.

"I wouldn't do that in front of Voight if you want to keep your job!" Upton teased as she followed the rest of the Unit downstairs.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

Halstead at my house for dinner, I thought to myself, shaking my head as I set the dining room table. "What's wrong Pop?" Justin asked as he walked into the dining room. "Mac has never invited a guy to Sunday dinner before. The first time she does, it really has to be one of my Detectives?" I said. I wasn't thrilled but seeing the way she looked at him reminded me of the way Camille used to look at me when we first started dating.

"She deserves to be happy and if he makes her happy then you need to be okay with it. If he wasn't a good guy you would have given Antonio the okay to bring him into your Unit." Olive said walking into the room with Danny chasing her on unsteady legs.

"I remember when you were too timid to speak more than one sentence in front of me. When did you decide it was okay to give me advice?" I teased, smiling at the woman my son loved.

"Probably two or three days ago. Right around the time I learned I was carrying your second grandchild." She said, smiling as she took hold of Justin's hand.

"Congratulations! God, I needed good news today and it doesn't get better than that." I responded, hugging them both before picking Danny up. I heard the front door open and carried Danny into the living room as Mac yelled "Hello!" announcing her and Halstead's arrival.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

Jay was so uncomfortable as he drove to my Uncle's for dinner. We had stopped by his apartment on the way so he could get clean clothes for the next day. It was more convenient, he told me, if he showered at my place before heading to work in the morning.

Dinner was really good and Uncle Hank was actually nicer to Jay than I had expected. He even told him he could call him Hank when they weren't at work. I think his mood was a result of Olive and Justin's news. I am so happy for them and can't wait for October when the newest addition to our family arrives!

"See you survived." I teased Jay as we walked down the walkway to where his truck was parked across the street at the curb. "It was a nice night. I like seeing you happy. I like seeing the normal Mackayla." he replied. "I'm glad because I like being the normal, non-movie star Mackayla when I'm with you." I said, pausing in the middle of the quiet neighborhood road to kiss the man I loved.

As we stood, kissing in the moonlight, we abruptly broke apart as the sound of screeching tires approached us. Jay pushed me out of the way, telling me to get behind his truck as a masked gunman took aim at us from the passenger side of an Explorer that was barreling down the street.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

I shoved Mackayla out of the street and yelled for her to take cover as I pulled out my sidearm. "Stop! Chicago PD!" I yelled as I took cover behind a car and fired at the Explorer. I could hear Voight yelling for Mackayla as he ran out of his house and down the driveway. I managed to shoot out the back window of the Explorer before it turned the corner.

"Mackayla! They're gone. You can come out now." I yelled to her, noticing for the first time, the bullet holes in the rear driver's side of my truck.

"Mackayla!" I heard Voight yell as he fell to the ground near the back of my truck. "Jay! She's been hit!" he yelled, panic and fear in his tone, as I rounded my truck.

I called 9-1-1. "This is Detective Halstead with CPD Intelligence. Badge #51163. I have a gunshot victim. Roll a bus to the home of CPD Intelligence Sargent Hank Voight. Shots fired at and by police. Perps are in a late model black Ford Explorer. Back window has been shot out. Let responding units know plain clothes officers are on the scene." I said, hearing the sirens before I even ended the call.

"How is she?" I called to Voight as I guarded over them in case the Explorer came back. "She's unconscious and bleeding a lot. Even with pressure it's not slowing down." he responded.

Within minutes Voight's street was filled with cop cars from all over the city along with Ambulance 61, Truck 81 and Squad 3 from Firehouse 51. "Which one of you wants to ride with us?" Gabby asked as we watched Casey and Severide help load Mackayla into the ambo. "Sarge, go. I'll follow with Atwater." I said. "Al, you run point." Voight instructed before the ambulance doors closed.

"Jay, I need your statement before you leave." Al said. "You can take it later at Med. Atwater, let's go." I said, jumping into the passenger seat of Kevin's car.

"How is she? Where is she?" I asked Voight, trying not to panic, as Atwater and I rushed thru the doors of Chicago Med's ED. "They just took her up to surgery. Dr. Rhodes was down here when we arrived. He's operating on her. Jay, she's lost a lot of blood." Voight said.

"Sarge, no disrespect, but maybe you should take a seat." Atwater said, helping Voight into a chair. I don't know if he actually realized Kevin was here. He was distraught and seemed to be moments away from his breaking point.

"I promised Camille I would keep Mac safe. She's the daughter we never had. She's been my daughter since she was twelve years old." he told us, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

"I need to call Justin. He can't hear about this on the news." Voight said. "Hank, I'll call him. Give me the number and I'll have him come down to wait with you." Maggie told him before turning to me. "Jay, let me know if you guys need anything. I'll ask Will to get you an update from Dr. Rhodes as soon as possible." she said softly. "Thanks Maggie." I replied.

An hour later the waiting room was filled with cops, movie production people, Justin, Jenna, James, Chris, Mackayla's agent and publicist along with the crew from 51. "Any updates?" Al asked leading the rest of the Intelligence Unit into the ED. I shook my head and continued to pace. I should have done more to protect her…to keep her safe, I thought to myself over and over again. Why haven't we heard anything yet, I wondered.

"Stone and the Ivory Tower want us off the case. Something to do with a conflict of interest and no longer being able to separate personal from the job." I overheard Al tell Voight.

"Jay…" I heard my brother say to get my attention. "Thought you would want these for evidence." Will said handing me a bag containing three bullets. "I'll take them." Al said as Maggie approached Voight. "Hank, Dr. Rhodes will be down in a few minutes to update you on Mackayla's condition." Maggie told him.

"Dr. Rhodes, how is she?" Voight asked, standing, when Connor walked into the room. The waiting room was quiet as we all waited to hear how Mackayla was.

"She's strong and a fighter. She's in recovery now. I'll move her into a private room shortly. She was hit three times, once in the arm and twice in the lower abdomen. I was able to stop the bleeding and stitch her up. She's groggy but awake at the moment. I'll take you up to see her if you're ready, Hank." Connor said, addressing Voight only.

"Al, I want two uniforms on her door at all times. Justin, come with me." Voight instructed as he started to follow Connor. "Jay! Are you coming? I know she'll want to see you." Voight said, surprising me.

"Thanks Sarge." I said as we rode the elevator to the floor Mackayla was on. "I figure you would have ended up finding her on your own if I didn't include you. Thank you Jay. I know I didn't say it earlier, but if you hadn't pushed her out of the way and fired at the Explorer so quickly things could have been a lot worse." he replied, surprising me again.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

Everything hurt. That's all I could think as I briefly regained consciousness when I was put in the ambulance. I don't remember much after that. I remember seeing Uncle Hank, Justin and Jay when I was in recovery. I now can see sunlight streaming thru the blinds of my hospital room. A room I noticed as I looked around was filled with flowers. Shit…the news of my shooting was out there then.

"Hey! You're awake. How are you feeling?" Gabby asked. "I'm thirsty so I guess that's a good thing. Surprised to see you here." I replied. "I convinced your Uncle and Jay to go home, shower and get some rest a couple of hours ago when I got off shift. I told your Uncle I'd sit with you. We didn't want you to wake up alone." she told me.

"Thanks Gabby. Is Jay okay? He didn't get shot did he? Did Uncle Hank? I remember him running out of the house in the middle of everything." I asked, feeling sick at the thought. "They're perfectly fine. You may have taken ten years or so off their lives, but other than that they are good." she replied.

"I see my patient is awake." Connor said, walking into my room. "I'll let you look her over. I'm going to step out to call Voight and Jay." Gabby replied. "Am I going to live?" I asked, still feeling the effects of the pain medication. His answer caused me to laugh at first before I started to worry. "As long as Voight family dinners don't always result in gunfire I think you'll be just fine. There are some medical things we can discuss a little later, non-life threatening things due to where you were hit, but again not life threatening. Get some rest and I'll be back a little later when most of the pain medication has worn off and you are completely lucid."

Now what I wondered to myself before I fell back to sleep…


	10. Aftermath

**HANK'S P.O.V. (4 WEEKS LATER)**

"Girl's night!? Are you kidding me? Do you not understand that someone tried to kill you a month ago? Absolutely not! There's no way in hell I'm letting you go to Molly's tomorrow night. It's bad enough you start filming again on Monday. Just invite the girl's over to your condo. There's no reason for you to go out. You shouldn't have come here today. James and Chris should know better." Jay sternly lectured Mackayla as the three of us sat in my office.

I agreed with every word Halstead was saying but my stubborn niece had ideas of her own. I was going to stay out of this for a minute to see how things progressed. I noticed Mac's eyes flash in anger as Jay told her he wasn't letting her go out. Halstead is in for it now, I thought to myself.

"Let me!? Let me!? Are you kidding me right now? The two of you have had me basically under house arrest since I was released from Chicago Med. You're not my Dad, Jay. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do. I came here to tell you both as a courtesy. Also, Uncle Hank it's time for the Uniforms at my door to go. Not only that..." Mackayla paused as she got up to open my office door, and addressed the other in the bullpen... "You all need to stop treating me with kid gloves. Go back to doing your jobs and living your lives. I love you all but you're driving me insane. Please, I need space." she finished as she looked at me silently pleading with her eyes for me to understand.

"Mac, we are all just worried about your safety since we haven't been able to find Roberston or Shaw. We don't want to see you get hurt again. Try to understand where Jay and I are coming from." I replied.

"I understand that but other than going to the Doctor for two follow ups I haven't left my condo in a month! I haven't even been allowed to go out on my balcony. I got the all clear from Connor to resume my morning runs, starting tomorrow. I need you to back off. Please. I love you both but you're suffocating me." Mackayla told us. She didn't look at either one of us but we knew she was holding back tears of frustration. She quickly said good-bye, walked out of my office, said something to Burgess and headed downstairs to where James and Chris were waiting for her.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I was filled with excitement just over twenty-four hours later as I got ready to go to Molly's. As I straightened my hair and applied my makeup I decided not to let the argument Jay and I had last night put a damper on my mood. It was going to be the first time in four weeks I've had a night out. I'm not stupid. I know I'm still in danger but I need to live my life. I believe Uncle Hank's Unit will catch Tom Robertson and Rob Shaw, but I can't stay in hiding until that happens.

"You look good. Maybe a little too thin still but you look like you again." James told me as I walked into the living room. "Thanks." I said, smiling at him as my eyes darted to where Jay sat on the couch. I was dressed in a pair of black fitted distressed cuffed jeans, a light purple silk v-neck racerback tank top, my short black leather jacket and black peeptoe booties. "I'm ready to go. Want to grab Chris and we can head out?" I asked James.

"Nope. Chris isn't going with us." James told me, surprising me with his answer. "Excuse me?" I said, wondering once again if my bodyguards have grown too comfortable in their jobs.

"James is driving us. Don't be mad but I turned your girls night into a girls and guys night. Molly's will be filled with people from the District, 51 and Med. Mackayla, give me a little more time and then I'll back off as much as you want. I almost lost you a month ago. I wasn't able to protect you and I'll have to figure out how to live with that but I don't want to risk it happening again." Jay told me.

"Jay, I don't want you to back off the way you're implying. I just need a little less Detective Halstead and more Jay Halstead in my life. Does that make sense?" I said, walking over to him.

"Complete sense. You look beautiful. Been a while since you last wore your hair straight. Come to think of it the only other time I've seen your hair straight was the night we first..." Jay said before he was interrupted by James..."Hey! There's some things I don't need to hear. Can we go now?"

"Speaking of that night you haven't touched me since then. Are you ever going to want to make love to me again? Dr. Rhodes cleared me for sex two weeks ago. I swear you've been waiting to come to bed until after I'm already asleep. It's frustrating as all hell Jay. If you don't want to be with me like that you just need to tell me." I whispered to Jay as we sat in the back seat of the SUV on our way to Molly's.

"We'll talk about it later. Let's just enjoy your night out. Trust me, Mackayla, I do want to be with you like that...more often than you know." Jay replied as the SUV pulled up to Molly's.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"You know Halstead you really need to stop acting like a helicopter Mom. Give her some space to breathe. She's safe in here. If you and Hank keep hovering and smothering her you won't like the outcome. Mackayla's almost at her limit with the two of you." Al said, from our end of the bar, as we watched Mackayla laugh at something Stella said at the table the girls occupied.

"I know. I'm just worried Al. Neither Voight or I like the thought of her filming next week when we can't guarantee her protection. She basically told me earlier tonight that I was once again treating her like a victim. That almost ruined us once and I'm not going to make that mistake again." I said, trying to figure out a good way to protect Mackayla without her realizing what I was doing.

"Well it looks like the answer to your problem as arrived. Rixton just walked in. He's with Hank down at the other end of the bar. I think this is a mistake but I understand where you are both coming from. I've known that girl since she was twelve years old. I don't want to see her hurt ever again." Olinsky said before turning to order another drink.

"Hey Rixton. Thanks for coming. I appreciate your help." I said as I walked over to where he sat with Voight. "No worries. I'm happy to help. If I understand this correctly you want me to pose as a Production Assistant while she is on set." Kenny Rixton replied. "Exactly. Just so you know Mackayla doesn't know about any of this. The only people who know are the movie's director and the head of security." I told him.

"We would prefer that my niece not know your true identity. She already thinks Halstead and I are overbearing. She will not be happy if she finds out I have someone undercover on set." Voight told Rixton. "Gotcha. I'll take off before she sees me then. I'll touch base with you both on Monday." Rixton said as he got up.

"Al thinks we're making a mistake. I hope he's wrong." I told Voight before walking over to a table and grabbing a seat with Ruzek, Atwater, Antonio, Casey and Severide.

 **MACKYALA'S P.O.V. (2 DAYS LATER)**

Monday morning rolled around and for the most part it was back to business as usual. It felt good to be filming again. I had a little downtime between scenes later in the day so I was able to sneak away from set and go meet with Dr. Charles. It was an appointment Connor scheduled for me without anyone else knowing. After I had been shot and had my follow-up appointments with Connor, he delivered the bad news I had been waiting for.

 **FLASHBACK (2** **½** **WEEKS** **AGO)**

 **MACKAYLA'S** **P.O.V.**

"Mackayla, I ran the scans again. I wish I had better news but it looks like the damage done to your uterus from the bullet fragments will make it almost impossible for you to get pregnant. I'm so sorry. Is there anyone I can call for you? Jay or Hank?" Connor said to me as I sat in an exam room at Chicago Med.

"No. I don't want anyone to know. Connor, it's very hard to keep things about my life private...especially lately. Is there anyone you trust that I can talk to once filming begins again? I think I'm at my limit and even though I'm not ready to have kids at the moment, having another choice, especially this choice in particular, taken away from me may push me over the edge. I would need to find a secret location to meet with the doctor as well. I can't risk a photographer catching me outside of a shrink's office." I replied, fighting back the tears.

"Let me reach out to Dr. Charles. I trust him completely and as long as he is okay with the location you can meet him in my condo." Connor told me.

 **PRESENT DAY**

 **MACKAYLA'S** **P.O.V.**

"Okay James. Let's go. Try to make sure we aren't followed. I should only be with Dr. Charles for an hour. Connor is leaving for the hospital shortly but said we can park in his spot in the parking garage below his building." I instructed my bodyguard.

"The Detective and your Uncle are going to be pissed if they find out you are running around without protection, besides me." he replied.

"What are you talking about? I've been on set all day with just you around." I said as something popped into my head. "Are you fucking kidding me!? The new P.A. is a cop, isn't he!? What the fuck?" I exclaimed, realizing I was going to have a lot more to discuss with Dr. Charles than I originally planned.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

"What do you mean she's not on set?" I barked into the phone. "You were supposed to be watching her! Where the fuck is she?" I yelled at Rixton over the phone. I looked up to see Halstead and Al enter my office and close the door behind them. "Find her now!" I instructed before ending the call.

"Rixton lost her on a closed set?" Jay asked looking like he was going to be sick. "She was in her trailer on a break. James was guarding the trailer. Rixton could stand there without drawing attention to himself so he was doing perimeter checks. Mac and James were both gone on his second pass by the trailer." I told them.

"Jay, call her before we jump to any conclusions." Al told him. "Straight to voicemail." Halstead replied before leaving a message for Mac. Before another word could be said there was a knock on my door. "Enter." I said as the three of us watched Atwater walk into my office with his laptop pulled up to a gossip website. "Uh, Sarge. I have my cell phone set to alert me whenever a story is posted about Mackayla. I just got the alert. Looks like the story was posted fifteen minutes ago." he said as he turned the laptop towards me, Jay and Al. There was a picture of Mac hugging Connor Rhodes in a parking garage. the title read "Is Mackayla Kennedy Cheating On Chicago's Finest With Hero Surgeon?"

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"What the fuck? She's with Connor Rhodes?" I shouted. "Bro, you don't know the entire story. You know how these sites are. Chances are it's innocent and nothing to stress about." Atwater replied.

"Let's take a ride." Voight said to me. We walked out of his office without saying a word and headed down the stairs stopping at Platt's desk. "Trudy get me the home address for Connor Rhodes and text it to me." Voight instructed before we walked out of the District and got into his Escalade.

"Jay you need to stay in the car if there are photographers there. I won't let her become bigger tabloid fodder than she already is. Just try to stay calm. We don't know what's going on." Voight instructed a short time later as we pulled up in front of Connor's building on North Lakeshore Drive.

Ten minutes later we were in the elevator on our way up to the 24th floor. James was posted outside of Connor's condo. "What the fuck? I'll deal with you later, just open the door now James." I instructed. "I told her this was a mistake. By the way, she figured out who the new P.A. really is." He told us he knocked on the door. I'm not sure who was more surprised, Hank or me, when Dr. Charles opened the door and we saw Mackayla in tears on the couch.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

Two hours later I sat with Al feeling like a complete idiot. "She's in therapy and didn't want anyone to know. She's really angry with me and Halstead. You were right Al. We were suffocating her. She told me she won't be over for Sunday dinner next weekend and she told Halstead that she needs space and he should plan on staying at his place for a while. We fucked up royally."

"Give her time Hank. She'll come around. Do you want me to talk to her?" Al asked.

"No one needs to talk to me. I expect when I return to set in an hour Detective Rixton will be gone, am I correct? Life is going back to normal from this point forward, understood?" Mac lectured me, with angry tears in her eyes from the doorway of my office.

"Rixton is already on the way back to his Unit. Mac, let's talk about this." I replied. "Can't. Not now. I'm too angry with you. I have to get back to work anyway and now I also have to convince the press that I'm not cheating on Jay." she said before walking back downstairs. She didn't acknowledge anyone else on her way out.

"Ouch. That was cold." I heard Ruzek say as Halstead walked down the hall into the locker room, slamming the door behind him.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

The rest of the week passed without further incident. "All packed?" James asked at 11:30am on Friday morning. I had filmed my scenes earlier that morning and I was now getting ready to head to Islamorada down in the Florida Keys for the weekend. It was going to be the original four only – me, Jenna, James and Chris for 2 ½ days.

"Here we go again, Mackayla." Chris said to me as we pulled into the hanger at O'Hare where the private jet waited for us. "Just like when we left LAX in January. I'll come around and get you. I'll escort you thru the photographers. We'll wait for Jenna and Chris on the plane." James instructed me, not realizing I had other plans this time.

When we reached the base of the stairs to the plane I turned, smiled and waved. This time tho, I stopped to answer questions...

 _Mackayla, how's filming going? - Photog #1_

 _It's great. The movie is really coming along and we should be wrapping up in the next 2 ½ weeks. I'm excited for people to see it. - MK_

 _Mackayla, how are you feeling? - Photog #2_

 _Good as new! - MK_

 _Mackayla, where are you going this weekend? - Joe, the photographer who follows me everyone_

 _It's a secret Joe. I'll see you all on Monday! - MK_

 _Mackayla, where's Chicago's finest? - Photog #3_

 _Unfortunately, he has to work this weekend. That's why he's Chicago's finest. - MK_

I then told them all to have a great weekend and boarded the plane. "The Detective had to work this weekend?" James asked. "No, but what was I going to say? I kicked my boyfriend out of my condo four days ago and haven't talked to him since?" I replied.

We all took our seats and fastened our seatbelts. I turned my phone off and handed it to Jenna. "I don't want to know about the real world at all this weekend. You can text my Uncle and let him know I'm away for the weekend and safe, but no one is to know where I am. We're landing in Miami and making the drive down to the Keys. There will be two cars at the hanger in Miami. One is a decoy, in case we are followed, and Chris will be driving the other car. I'm determined to avoid everyone this weekend." I told them before putting my earbuds in and pulling up a playlist on my iPhone. As Kenny Chesney started to sing in my ears I thought to myself that if anyone finds us this weekend, especially Robertson or Shaw, I'll know it's either Jenna, Chris or James who is the one truly out to get me.


	11. It's Over

**MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

If I wasn't convinced that one of the three, sitting around the bonfire with me on the beach outside of the condo in Islamorada, wasn't trying to kill me then I would have been enjoying what normally would have been a relaxing night on the beach. I knew deep down inside that Jenna, James or Chris had betrayed me and given Rob Shaw and Tom Robertson access to me over the past six months.

"Okay all. I'm heading up to bed. Enjoy the rest of your night. James and Chris, I'm going to want to go for a run at 8:00am tomorrow morning before we turn into beach bums for the rest of the day." I said to them as I got up from the Adirondack chair.

"I'll walk you up Mackayla." James said. "It's early still. Only 9:00pm. Are you okay?" he asked as he fell into step next to me. I didn't say a word. I walked across the beach towards the condo. I waited until we were in the elevator heading up to the floor our individual studios were on. "James, you've been with me for six years now, right?" I asked and after he confirmed I continued on. "Other than what's been going on for the past six months have I been difficult to work for? You've always been well compensated and treated fairly, haven't you?" I asked him. "Yes, of course. What are you getting at Mackayla?" he asked in response as he unlocked the door to my condo and checked to make sure no one else was in the ocean front studio on the third floor. "It may not make sense at the moment, but if you're the one behind everything it would break my heart because I've always considered you a friend...not just an employee. Good night James." I said opening the door indicating he should leave.

I closed the door behind him, walked over to the balcony door and stepped outside. I had the perfect unobstructed view of the beach and could clearly see Chris and Jenna still sitting around the bonfire. God, I wish Jay was here. "Well, he's not so you're stuck with me." a soft voice said from above me. "Sorry Al. I didn't realize I said that out loud." I whispered to the balcony above me. "No worries kid. One way or another this shit is ending tonight. Robertson and Shaw were spotted leaving the airport in Miami an hour ago. Rixton is tailing them and keeping me updated." he responded.

After a few minutes of silence, I said the words I was sure we were both thinking. "Uncle Hank is going to be pissed that you didn't fill him in on your plan." "Yeah, I know. I'm hoping when we bring Robertson and Shaw back to Chicago, in handcuffs, along with whoever on your team they are working with, it will make him forget that I lied to him. You should go inside and go to bed. I got you covered, Mackayla. I promised nothing will happen to you." Al said. I walked back inside, leaving the balcony door unlocked.

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up a few hours later when a hand was placed over my mouth. I opened my eyes, and even tho the lights were off, I could see Al, in the moonlight streaming through the open balcony doors, holding a finger up to his lips, motioning for me to be quiet. I nodded to let him know I understood. I slipped out of bed and quietly moved across the marble floor and out to the balcony. Once I was outside, Rixton, wearing a red wig, crawled into my bed. If the situation wasn't so serious I would have laughed and taken a photo to show the Intelligence Unit.

I almost screamed when another rope was dropped down from the balcony above me. I watched as Hailey Upton rappelled down the rope. "What are you doing here?" I whispered. "Risking my career in Intelligence and the wrath of Jay. Al decided his crazy plan was a three-man job so I came down with Rixton. Just do what I tell you if anyone manages to get past Olinsky." she instructed.

Minutes later we heard a loud crashing noise in the hallway outside of the studio. "Hurry up. You can't fuck it up this time. We need to get her and get out of here. James saw me before you hit him, and the drug I slipped into Chris's beer will be wearing off soon." a female voice said as a key was inserted into the lock. The door opened and then was quietly closed after they dragged James's unconscious body inside. "Dear God, please let him be alive." I whispered, causing Hailey to put a finger to her lips.

We watched as Jenna led the other two over towards my bed. They were ten feet away when the light flipped on and Al yelled "Chicago PD" as Rixton sat up in bed with his gun pointed at the trio. "Drop your weapons." Hailey yelled as she stepped into the room. That's when Rob Shaw noticed me on the balcony for the first time. Before anyone could stop him he fired his weapon. Hailey jumped in front of me and the bullet hit her straight in the middle of her chest. Rixton tackled Shaw as I screamed Hailey's name. "Vest...it got me in the vest. I'm okay." she said, gasping for breath as the wind had been knocked out of her.

There was still a stand-off going on between Al and Robertson. The former Hollwood Detective still had his gun in his hand. "Drop it Tom. It's over. You were a cop. You know there's no way out." Al said. "I can't go to jail. You know what they do to cops in prison? No way man...I'm not going there." Robertson replied. "Come on man, drop it. No don't do it!" Al yelled out as we watched, in horror, as Roberston lifted his gun and shot himself in the head.

"You bitch!" I screamed as I lunged across the room at Jenna. I knocked her to her knees and as she fell to the floor I punched her in the face over and over again. "Come on now. Stop Mackayla. It's over. Let Hailey cuff her and let's get you out of here." All said pulling me off Jenna. I looked at her. She was bleeding from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Her left eye was almost swollen shut. "Let's go get your hands cleaned up." Al said as he lead me out of the room.

"I don't understand. What did I do to make her hate me so much? She had been with me almost my entire career. I thought we were friends. And oh my God, Al...there was so much blood. Was there no other way for him to end things besides killing himself? He terrorized me and raped me and now he's not going to pay for what he did? I don't understand." I said as I let the tears finally fall.

"You're in shock. Let's get you upstairs." he replied. We walked into the hallway as police and medics rushed through the staircase door. "Two plain clothes officers have two perps in custody. The third perp is DOA. Her two bodyguards need medical attention. One has been drugged and is still on the beach. I'm taking Mackayla upstairs to clean up her hands. We'll wait up there for you to come take her statement. I want it done ASAP so I can get her back to Chicago. Detectives Upton and Rixton will be escorting the two perps on a separate plane back to Chicago. Make sure you keep the press out of here." Al said to one of the Detectives.

A short time later my bloody knuckles had been bandaged and I had given my statement. I jumped up from the couch when James walked in. "Oh my God! I'm so happy you are okay. Why were you outside my door? You weren't supposed to be there." I said to him as I threw myself into his arms. He told me he thought something was wrong after our conversation so he decided to watch my door. Jenna took him by surprise acting as a decoy for Shaw and Robertson's attack. He then handed me my phone. "Hailey packed up everything from your room and Jenna's but I thought you would want your phone. Chris needs to stay in the hospital overnight for observation but I'm ready to head back home to Chicago whenever you are." my giant bodyguard said as I proceeded to cry in his arms. It's over...it's finally over, I thought to myself.

 **AL'S P.O.V.**

"Yeah Hank. I know. She's sleeping. She's fine physically but in shock. She wasn't ready to talk to you or Halstead just yet. I needed to do it...the two of you were too close and not thinking clearly." I said to Voight over the phone as we made the drive from Islamorada to Miami. "We'll be on the ground at O'Hare by 6:00am. I'll let her know you'll be waiting. Don't be too hard on her, or Rixton and Upton. I'll take full responsibility for this one." I told him before ending the call.

"Detective Olinsky, we're here." the driver said a short time later. I looked out the window and didn't see any photographers. That was a good sign. "James, can you carry her? I don't want to wake her." I said to Mackayla's bodyguard. She had been given a strong sedative causing her to fall asleep minutes into the car ride.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"Mackayla...Mackayla...we just landed in Chicago." I heard Al's soft voice bringing me out of a dreamless sleep. "Do they know?" I asked, groggily. "I talked to Hank. He's waiting for us. I'm assuming he would have let Halstead know." he replied. "I don't want to see Jay. Tell Uncle Hank he can drive me home, but I don't want to see Jay. It's over between me and Jay. Dr. Rhodes said I can't have kids because of the shooting and Jay deserves more than that." I told him, not fully understanding what I was saying thanks to the effects of the sedative.

I started to fall back to sleep when I felt myself being picked up and carried off the plane. "It's not over between us Mackayla. I love you and you love me." I heard Jay say softly as he kissed the top of my head.

Hours later I opened my eyes, realizing I was home in my own bed. I looked at the clock. It was 4:00pm. Time to face reality I thought to myself as I heard voices coming from somewhere within my condo. I got up, walked into my master bath and turned on the shower. Thirty minutes later I was dressed in black yoga pants and a black t-shirt. I opened my bedroom door and walked down the hall towards the living room.

"There she is." Ruzek said, being the first one to spot me. I looked around to see the entire Intelligence Unit along with Trudy Platt, Kenny Rixton, my cousin Justin and James eating pizza and drinking beer and wine in my living room. "You guys decide to have a party and forget to invite me?" I asked.

"You needed to sleep Mac. How do you feel?" Uncle Hank asked rising to give me a hug. He looked at my bruised knuckles and shook his head, with a slight smile on his face. "Fighting with Justin all those years finally paid off, huh?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah. I'm a little overwhelmed and as grateful as I am to all of you I hope you won't be upset if I asked you to leave. I think I need some time to myself to process everything." I said avoiding Jay's eyes. I remembered what I had said on the plane. I just wasn't sure if I meant it or not.

One by one, they all departed, hugging me on the way out until I was left alone with Al, Jay, James, Justin ad Uncle Hank. Al looked at me before turning to Jay and saying "Come on, Halstead. I'll buy you a drink or two down at Molly's." Jay looked at me and I nodded, basically letting him know I wanted him to go. "We'll talk later." Jay said, obviously unhappy, before walking out the door. "I'll check on you tomorrow kid. Get some rest." Al said before following Jay.

"Mac..." he started. "Uncle Hank. I can't. Not today. I'll see you tomorrow for Sunday dinner, okay?" I pleaded with him. "Come on Pop. I'll buy you a drink down at Molly's and tell you about the time that Mackayla kicked Mikey DiStefano's ass when he called her a stuck-up bitch when she was fourteen. Rumor has it he's the president of her fan club now." Justin said to my Uncle. "Thank you." I mothed to him. "I'm glad you're okay and home safe. I'll see you tomorrow." Justin said as he held the door open for my Uncle. "We still need to talk about this Mac. It will wait though. I love you." Hank said giving me a hug. "I love you too. Be nice to Al. He did what needed to be done." I said closing the door behind them.

"Do you want me to stay or go Mackayla?" James asked. "Take some pizza and go relax at home. I'll yell down the hall to you if I need anything. I seriously need to process that Jenna was behind this and I watched a man kill himself." I said as I carried empty glasses and plates into the kitchen. "Jesus, do you think they ordered enough?" I asked James as I looked at eight large pizza boxes from Lou Malnati's. Four turned out to be empty...how long had they all been here for, I wondered to myself as I shook my head. "Take two with you and leave two here. You know I can eat pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner." I told James as I loaded the dishwasher.

Alone at last, I thought to myself as I grabbed a pizza box and a bottle of ginger-ale out of the fridge. I walked into my bedroom and crawled into bed. I pulled up Netflix on the TV and prepared to binge watch Season Two of The Crown. I lied to everyone. I didn't want to think about anything that happened last night. I don't want to think about what I saw ever again. The glamorous life of a movie star on a Saturday night I thought to myself as I dug into the best pizza in all of Chicago as the first episode appeared on the screen.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

My heart broke for Mackayla when I heard her tell Al on the plane that she couldn't have kids because of the shooting. But she was wrong if she thought we were over because of that. We could always adopt if we decided we wanted kids.

"Where's your head at Halstead?" Al asked me as we sat at the bar at Molly's. I looked over and watched Voight and Justin across the room at a table. I knew then and there what I needed to do. "I need to talk to Voight." I replied as I finished my beer and walked over to his table.

"Hank, I'm sorry to interrupt but I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes." I said, hoping he wouldn't fire me or kill me. "Uh-oh, I know that look. This should be an interesting conversation between the two of you. I'll go grab us a few more drinks." Justin said. I sat down in the seat he just vacated and said "Look Hank, you know I'm in love with Mackayla. You know she's in love with me too. I don't care if she can't get pregnant. I'm in love with her and want to spend the rest of my life with her. I want to spend the rest of my life making her happy. I'm asking for your blessing Hank." I said, unsure as what else to say to the man that I was honestly a little afraid of at times. God, please don't let him say no, I prayed.

It seemed like hours had passed before Hank spoke. "She told you it's over and you want to marry her? Are you sure you can handle her life Jay? Can you handle the publicity she endures? The scrutiny and lack of privacy on a daily basis? The separation when she goes off to some remote location to film a movie for a couple of months? If those answers are yes, and on the condition that you agree to sign a prenup, then I'll give you my blessing. You make her happy and there's nothing more I want in life than to see my kids and my grandkids happy. With that being said, if you hurt her I will end you. They'll never find your body. Is that understood?" he asked.

"Yes sir. All I want is to be with her and to make her happy. I'll sign whatever I need to sign. I love her Hank." I replied.

"I guess there's really nothing much left to say other than, welcome to the family Jay." he responded, almost sounding as if he was in pain, before finishing his Manhattan.

"So, when are you gonna do it?" Justin asked when he sat back down at our table with Al. "I need to buy her a ring first. Will gave my Mom's ring to Nat when he proposed so I guess I should go ring shopping. Can't ask her without a ring." I replied.

 **HANK'S P.O.V.**

"Wait here. I'll be back in forty-five minutes." I instructed before getting up from the table. I walked out of Molly's, got in my Escalade and made the drive home. I walked in and looked at the framed photos on the credenza in the front hallway. Guess I'll be adding another picture to my collection...one of Mac and Jay on their wedding day.

I went downstairs, moved a shelving unit to the side and opened my safe. I pulled out a blue bag and opened it. In the bag was a ring box. I opened the box and looked at the two-carat emerald-cut solitaire set in a diamond and platinum band. It had been Theresa's engagement ring. It seemed only fitting since Olive wore Justin's Mother's ring that Mac wear her Mother's ring.

Jesus, my little girl is going to marry Halstead. I guess she could do a lot worse I thought to myself as I drove back to Molly's. I walked back into the bar and slid the ring box across the table. "It was her Mother's. I know Theresa would have loved for you to give it to Mac." I told Halstead as he opened the box. "It's beautiful. Thank you, Hank." he replied as he looked at the ring.

"I know you'll make her happy Jay but, I do need to wish you luck convincing her that it's not over. It's not going to be an easy road." I replied as I got up and ordered another drink from the bar.


	12. Runaway

**A/N: It's been a while since I've updated this story. I hit a bit of writer's block but I have caught a few repeat episodes of Chicago PD on USA which has gotten me back in the groove. I'm excited about where this story is going and although this is a short chapter to get me back into the swing of things I hope you'll all enjoy it and look forward to reading what else is to come!**

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 **JAY'S P.O.V. (3 MONTHS LATER)**

"Seriously Hank? Is she ever coming back? I get she went through a lot of shit but before I even had the chance to talk to her once she came back from Islamorada she was gone again. She went to LA for a bit and has been in London for over two months filming another movie there. I have her Mother's ring in my safe at home and need to talk to her...I want to propose to her. She can't just cut me out of her life forever." I said as I stood on Voight's back deck, drinking a beer watching him grill steaks for dinner on a warm Sunday night in early September.

 **"** Look Jay, I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse but she's not really talking to anyone right now. She's talking to me and Justin but that's really about it. I know she and Al have texted a few times. Oh, and she has talked and e-mailed with Burgess about her upcoming wedding. She's having problems on this movie set. The filming hasn't been going as smoothly as she hoped. That's two back to back movies she has been having problems with. At least no one is trying to kill her now." he replied.

I didn't say much during dinner...neither one of us did – we both have been missing Mackayla too much to be overly social. I couldn't believe that she basically disappeared without a word. She stayed in town for a week after the incident down in the Keys but had avoided me completely. She told James and Chris not let me into her apartment. As far as I knew she had left town without even saying goodbye to Hank and Justin in person.

"Halstead? Jay? Did you hear me?" Voight asked, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Sorry. No. I missed what you said." I replied. "I said you have quite a bit of vacation time available. Why don't you take a week and head to London. I can get her new assistant's information and forward it to you. Text her when you get there and let her know you need to see Mac. It's worth a try and honestly I think you're the only one who can bring her home at this point." he replied.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V. (4 DAYS LATER)**

"Mackayla?" my assistant, Karli, called out to me as I walked out of my trailer. I was due on set in five minutes. Shooting would finally end in two days. It had not been an easy shoot, but then again, I never in a million years thought I would have the opportunity to star as Elizabeth Bennet in a remake of Pride and Prejudice. I wasn't typically a fan of remakes, but this one seemed too good to pass up. Too bad the leading male in the movie was such a prima donna and tended to go on his schedule and didn't give care how his actions affected the rest of the cast and crew.

"Yeah?" I replied. "I just received a text from your Uncle Hank and from James. There's a Jay Halstead here to see you. He's waiting by the set entrance." Karli told me. I froze, causing Karli, a P.A. and a make-up person to all bump into me.

"Jay's here?" I asked, eyes wide, looking at her. "Yeah. According to the text I received from your Uncle he wanted to give me the heads up and get Jay in to see you. It's important he said. James said he received the same text from your Uncle as well." she replied.

I changed direction and walked towards the set entrance. At this point it wasn't going to matter if I was late or not. I couldn't believe it when I rounded the corner. Standing there, like he didn't have a care in the world was Jay Halstead, the man I never stopped loving. The man I had missed for the past three months. The man I pretty much cried myself to sleep thinking about every night for the past three months. The man who deserved so much more than me. He looked wonderful. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a blue shirt and a black leather jacket. His beautiful blue-green eyes sparkled as he laughed at something James and Chris said to him.

"Hi." I said, stopping about twenty feet away from him. "Hi." he replied, smiling at my costume. My hair was set in curls atop of my head and I was dressed in an 1800's replica cream colored ballgown that showed quite a bit of cleavage. "Sorry about showing up this way but I needed to talk to you." he told me. "Mackayla, you're needed on set." the P.A. said to me.

I looked at Jay, torn – not wanting him to go but not wanting him to be here either. "Jay, this isn't a good time. I have two days of shooting left and it's been a little challenging. I'm scheduled to head back to the US at the end of next week. Maybe it would be better if we just wait until then to talk." I told him.

"It can't wait Mackayla. I'll leave my hotel information with James and Chris. Why don't we arrange to have a quiet dinner in my suite. Then after I say what I need to we can go from there. Please Mackayla, you know I wouldn't have come all this way if it wasn't important. This is one conversation I'm not going to let you run away from." he told me.

"I have to go but leave your hotel info with James and I'll do my best to come by later tonight when I'm done. I'm not sure what time it will be but I'll try." I said, unable to promise him...unable to say the words he wanted to hear before turning to walk away. He reached out and grabbed my hand before I made it two steps. "I love you Mackayla. Just remember that. I'll see you later tonight." he told me, walking back over to where James and Chris were standing.

After a long afternoon and evening of filming and re-filming the Netherfield Ball scene, I was exhausted. If Jay hadn't been here I would have gone back to my London flat and gone straight to sleep. Instead I showered, left my hair curly and my makeup light before dressing in a pair of black distressed fitted skinny jeans, a gray v-neck sweater and a black short leather jacket. I stuffed my aching feet into a pair of gray suede stiletto booties.

"Okay. Let's go to wherever Jay is staying. I'm only staying an hour at the most. I need to get some sleep before I literally fall asleep on my feet." I told Chris and James as I got into the SUV. They looked at each other and grinned. "What do the two of you know?" I asked. "Nothing, but Mackayla he's a good guy. Probably the best you'll ever find. Just listen to what he has to say." James said.

I sighed and sat in silence as Chris drove us towards The Kensington Hotel where Jay was staying. James came around when we arrived at the hotel and helped me out of the SUV. "Ms. Kennedy. We've been expecting you. It's a pleasure to have you at The Kensington this evening. Mr. Halstead is in the Brompton Suite." the doorman told us.

I rang the doorbell to the Brompton Suite and when the door opened I walked into the exquisite space that was more like an apartment than a hotel suite. Jay greeted me with a glass of champagne and lead me into the living room of the suite. The drapes were pulled back and the large windows overlooked the hustle and bustle of the London night.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"Champagne? Are we celebrating something?" Mackayla asked me. "Hopefully." I replied, leading her into the suite's living room. "Dinner will be up here shortly. I hope you don't mind but I pre-ordered. The doorman was going to inform the kitchen when you arrived. We can talk now or we can talk after dinner. It's up to you." I said, noticing how beautiful she looked. Beautiful but tired.

"Now works for me." she replied, placing the glass of champagne on the coffee table before she settled in on the couch.

I took a deep breath. I had the perfect proposal planned but it wasn't going to be here in London. It was going to take place in Chicago, if I could get her back to Chicago. "Mackayla, we all miss you. Hank hates not having you home in Chicago. I hate not having you home in Chicago. I know you have to travel for work, but Mackayla, you didn't have to runaway. We were all going to be there for you. I was going to be there for you. Whether you can have children or not doesn't matter to me. I love you Mackayla and I'm planning on staying as long as it takes to convince you to come home with me when this movie is done." I told her.

She smiled at me. The first real smile I had seen on her face since the last time we were at Molly's together...the night that Voight and I talked to Rixton about working on Mac's set. Before either of us could say anything else there was a knock on the door. I got up and let the room service person enter. Dinner was rolled into the room on a table and set in the living room between the two of us.

The server removed the cloche's (the covers that keep the plates warm) and we saw two perfectly prepared filet mignons with butter-whipped potatoes and asparagus. There was a basket filled with warm breads and two dishes of crème brulee for dessert.

"Jay this looks amazing! I think I just realized how hungry I actually was. I haven't had a chance to really eat since breakfast." Mackayla said, diving into her food. We kept the conversation light during dinner and talked mostly about Burgess and Ruzek's wedding. Mackayla was going to be a bridesmaid and Ruzek had asked me to be one of his groomsmen. The wedding was taking place on New Year's Eve...just over three months to go until the big day.

We finished dinner and I pushed the room service table back out into the hallway. I refilled both of our water glasses before taking a seat in the chair across from where Mackayla sat on the couch.

"Jay, it may not seem like it but I'm not proud of the way it left. I think everything just got to be too much for me to handle. The meetings in LA and then this movie seemed like the perfect reason to leave Chicago. I know I didn't take your feelings into consideration. I definitely didn't take Uncle Hank's feelings into consideration either. I just needed to get out of Chicago and away from everyone. I have to be back in Chicago in ten days. Jenna and Rob Shaw's trial starts at the beginning of October and I need to do trial prep with the A.S.A.. I heard the State's Attorney asked Peter Stone to come back from New York for this one. That will probably make Liv happy. She's not a huge fan of his...don't tell anyone I said that tho." she told me.

"Were you not going to tell anyone you were coming back?" I asked, hurt and insulted at the thought of her being in Chicago and not knowing. "I was going to call you when I got back. So we could talk then. We do have a lot to talk about Jay. I never stopped loving you but I don't know if I can be with you right now." she replied, leaving me wondering why she can't be with me.


	13. Home

**A/N: So, I've definitely hit a little bit of writers block with this story. I'm ready for the new season of Chicago PD to start to give me some new inspiration! Hope you enjoy and I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner rather than later. As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

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 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V. (2 WEEKS LATER)**

"Seriously Stone? How many more times are we going to have to go through the same thing? I know my testimony inside and out. I know what to expect from Jenna's lawyer and Shaw's lawyer. I don't think it is possible for me to be any more prepared than I already am." I said to the Assistant States Attorney from the witness stand in an empty courtroom.

We were the only two in the courtroom. James and Chris were guarding the outer doors and if I knew my Uncle, he had a couple of patrolmen posted somewhere around the building as well. I had arrived back in Chicago four days earlier and have been locked either in a courtroom or in Peter Stone's office since my plane had touched down. I had barely seen Uncle Hank or Justin. I hadn't spoken to Jay since I left his suite in London, but I wasn't ready to think of that just yet. I knew he wasn't going to give me much more time to decide if I wanted to be with him or not. I mean who in their right mind would put up with my life and the craziness that comes with it.

"Mackayla? Did you hear me? What do you think?" I heard Peter ask. "I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else. What did you say?" I replied. "I said it's getting late and then suggested we get out of here and finish reviewing everything over dinner." he said. "Oh. Peter, I appreciate the offer but I'm exhausted. I really just want to head home." I said, stepping down from the witness stand. "I'll see you on Monday. Day one. I'll be here bright and early. Oh, and I don't know if you are aware but Liv is coming for a couple of days to offer her support. Plus, you'll have most of the Intelligence Unit here as well, since they have to either testify or just want to offer their support." I told him, slipping into a black leather jacket.

"Ready to go, Mackayla?" James asked as I walked out of the courtroom doors. "Yeah. Hey, I think I would like to swing by Molly's tonight instead of heading straight home." I said to my two friends and bodyguards. "Whatever you want is good with us. We may have to take the long way tho...the paps got word that you are back in Chicago for the trial. You know they'll be all over you." Chris told me. "Whatever. I'm used to it at this point. I just want to have a couple of beers, catch up with whoever is there and grab a burger or a pizza. You guys must be starving, unless you ate while I went through everything with Stone for the millionth time." I replied as I slid into the back seat of the SUV.

Minutes later we were pulling up to the corner bar in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. The great thing about Molly's is that it was only about a fifteen minute drive from my condo in Lincoln Park. The condo that I was going to be putting on the market in a few days. I had found a house for sale shortly before I left for London that I purchased and had renovated. I had received word when I returned from London that it was ready for me to move in. The property consisted of three buildings. The main house was a four story, five bedroom house. The second home, with two bedrooms, was an oversized carriage house, and would be for Chris and James. The third building had been converted into office space for my production company. It was still in Lincoln Park, but it would be a house and not a condo.

"Well look who just couldn't stay away!? Always knew you weren't gone for good and would be back to Chicago. Just couldn't stay away from us could you!?" Hermann said, engulfing me in a hug as I walked through the door. "Hey Hermann. It's good to see you." I replied, scanning the room. "21 isn't here yet. They'll be by a little later I'm sure. However, I know that group over there will be happy to see you. I'll send your beer over." he said, nudging me in the direction of Casey, Severide, Sylvie, Otis and Cruz.

"You're back! Are you here for good?" Sylvie asked as she got up to give me a hug. Severide got up from his barstool so I could sit. "No, I'm good standing. I've been sitting on a witness stand for the past four days. I don't want to sit anytime soon." I replied, as I shifted my position so my back was to the wall and I was facing out at the room. Some things don't change I thought to myself as I sipped the Sam Adams Octoberfest Hermann delivered to the table for me.

"Where's everyone else? Where's Gabby, Stella and everyone from Med?" I asked. I noticed a few glances around the table. "Gabby's out of town. Stella had a date and the group from Med and 21 should be here shortly." Otis said. I knew there was a story about Gabby, when I noticed the look on Matt's face, but figured I would find out from either Sylvie or Kim later.

The subject then changed to my time in London and the upcoming trial. "It's not something I can really talk about yet. Not until it's over. Peter Stone would probably have heart failure if he knew I was out having fun and not sequestered in a safe-house like he wanted." I told them.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

It had been a long week. Actually, it had been a long two weeks since Mackayla walked out of my London hotel room after I proposed to her. I hadn't been planning on doing it there. I didn't even have the ring with me. I half-assed the thing because I was so nervous. I completely fucked it up and really couldn't blame her for walking out. I might have even told her that it was time to shit or get off the pot.

"Man, you need to just get drunk tonight. It's guy's night. Forget about your problems. You can deal with it on Monday when you see her at the trial. Let's just get shitty at Molly's and Antonio will make sure you Uber it home." Atwater told me as we walked out of the District.

"Why the fuck do I have to be the responsible one?" Antonio asked. "Because you're a dad. Dads are supposed to be responsible." Ruzek replied. "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I don't even have my kids this weekend. They're at my ex's place. I plan on getting a little drunk myself and letting Sylvie have her way with me." Antonio told us.

"See you guys there." I said as I walked over to my truck. I really wasn't in the mood to go out. Maybe I should just go for one drink and then head home and hibernate for the weekend. I knew Mackayla was back in town but she hadn't reached out...not that I blame her for that either. Fuck, I thought as I made the short drive to Molly's.

I walked into the bar and automatically knew something was different. I looked over at the back corner where the tables were normally occupied by 51 and that's when I saw her. Mackayla was back at Molly's. She hadn't noticed me yet. I walked over to the bar and Hermann placed a shot of whiskey and a beer in front of me. "Figured you could use the shot. She looks tired, Halstead, and from what I've heard, Stone has been working her pretty hard for the past four days in order to get ready for next week." he said. I didn't respond. I downed the shot and watched her from the end of the bar while I sipped on my beer.

Adam walked in a few minutes later, followed by Atwater and Antonio. Dawson headed straight for Sylvie but stopped halfway there when he noticed Mackayla. He turned and walked back to me. "Guy's night. I'll hook up with Brett later." he said. "No man. Do your thing. I'm okay." I told him. He looked like he didn't believe me but instead of arguing he grabbed a beer and walked over to 51's table. I watched Mackayla smile at him as he greeted her and continued to watch as her eyes scanned the bar before landing on me.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

I saw him the second he entered the bar. I didn't want him to notice me so I quickly averted my eyes before his met mine. After saying hi to Antonio I knew that I couldn't avoid Jay for much longer.

"I'll catch up with you guys later. It's been a long few days. I'm going to take off." I said to the table. "Don't avoid him. You both deserve to be happy and I know you make each other happy." Sylvie said as she hugged me goodbye.

I walked to the end of the bar where Jay stood with Adam and Kevin. "Hey." I said as I approached them. I gave Adam and Kevin a quick hug. "Kim's going to be disappointed that she missed you tonight. If she knew you were going to be here I'm sure she would have come with us." Adam said. "She didn't want to ruin your guys night. She and I are having lunch tomorrow to catch up on all things wedding-related. But I don't want to ruin your guys night either so I'm going to get going. Um, Jay, would you mind walking me outside for a second?" I said.

Jay placed his beer on the bar and lead the way outside. James and Chris were waiting outside the SUV halfway down the block ready to drive me back to the condo. "I'm sorry about London." I started. "Mackayla, you don't have anything to apologize before. I was an idiot." he replied. "Look, I meant what I said. I don't want to intrude on your guys night but if you don't have plans for tomorrow night I was hoping you could meet me somewhere. There's something I want to show you." I said to him. "Of course. Just let me know where and when. I'll be there." he responded, taking a step closer to me. Before more could be said two photographers rounded the corner.

"And there they are." I said backing up. "I'll text you the details. Good night Jay." I said, quickly turning and heading towards where Chris and James waited.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

"Well that didn't seem to go horribly wrong from what we could see." Atwater and Ruzek said when I walked back into Molly's. "She wants to get together tomorrow night." I told them. "See, good things are to come. We all know you are meant to be together. She's just gone through a lot." Kevin told me. "Thanks. I'm going to take off. I haven't slept much and need to get some stuff done at home. I'll talk to you guys later." I said, making a quick exit. I didn't want to hear shit from them about bailing on guys night.

Shortly after getting home my phone dinged. It was a Google alert. I received a notification each time a story was posted about Mackayla on any website. And there it was. The picture of the two of us outside of Molly's with the caption "Is Mackayla Back With Chicago's Finest!?" There was a five sentence article describing how we had been spotted together and it wasn't clear if we were getting back together or breaking up again.

I shook my head and walked into my small galley kitchen to grab a beer. I heard my phone ding again. Jesus, not another one I thought to myself. I walked back into the living room and picked up my phone. It was a text from Mackayla.

 _Tomorrow...7:30pm...2330 N Cambridge Ave...come_ _hungry - MK_

What the heck was 2330 North Cambridge Ave? I suppose I could google it and find out but she obviously had something in mind so I decided to let it be. I got up and walked into my bedroom. I opened the safe in my closet. I pulled out the box with the ring. I opened the box and looked at the shiny ring. With any luck this ring will be on her finger tomorrow night, I thought to myself before putting it back in the safe.

 **MACKAYLA'S P.O.V.**

"Yes, Uncle Hank. I'll be there tomorrow for family dinner. I promise." I told my Uncle. I called him after lunch with Kim when I was on my way to the new house. I had a couple of hours before Jay arrived to get everything set.

"Any news for me Mac? What have you been up to since you got home?" he asked. Shit...how did he already know? "I'm guessing you know about the house." I replied. "You bought it three months ago before you left for London! Of course I know about it! But that's not what I was referring to. I saw the picture of you and Halstead outside of Molly's." he said. "We were talking. That's it. You know those tabloids always make things into something they aren't." I reminded him. "So, there's nothing going on between you and Jay?" he asked.

I didn't know how to respond so I paused to think of a careful way to explain the situation. I couldn't come up with one. "Ask me again tomorrow at dinner." I replied before saying goodbye and ending the call.

James, Chris and I walked into the house. "This place is unbelievable. The interior designers did a great job while we were in London. Seems that they followed everything to your specifications." James said. I couldn't help but agree as I walked through the first floor of the house. "You two are off duty tonight. No one knows about this house so I'm not worried. I have the alarm code and will make sure it's set before I go to bed tonight. Why don't you guys either go out or just go relax in your new home? I need to get things set before Jay gets here." I said, opening the door so they would understand it was time for them to go.

It was still relatively warm out for an early fall evening in Chicago but I decided to light a fire in both the outdoor fireplace and the living room fireplace. I had Karli, my assistant, help me line the private patio with lots of candles. There were so many candles lit that I was sure the crew from 51 would kick my ass if they ever saw it. The lights inside were turned down low and there would be a private Chef arriving shortly to prepare dinner for Jay and I.

I walked down to the wine cellar that held 875 bottles (maybe one day I would have it completely filled but that wouldn't be happening anytime soon) and selected a bottle of Cakebread Cabernet. I also made sure the wine fridge in the kitchen had a bottle of Dom Perignon chilling. Hopefully we would have something to celebrate. That is if he could forgive me for being such an asshole in London and running out on him.

Right at 7:30pm the doorbell rang. I took one last look in the mirror. I had on a black wide leg jumpsuit with rhinestone cuffs at the wrists. The top of the jumpsuit wrapped around my waist and tied at my left hip. I had a pair of sparkly silver Louboutin pumps on my feet. My diamond chandelier earrings were the only jewelry I wore. My makeup was subtle and natural looking.

"Hi." I said when I opened the door. He looked wonderful. He was in all black. Black pants...black button-down shirt...black suit jacket. He held a bouquet of red roses in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other hand. "Hi. I wasn't sure what the deal was with this place when you sent the address. I didn't look until today. I wasn't going to look at all but needed to figure out how to dress and what to bring. I was surprised to find out that it was a house. You look beautiful, by the way." he said as he walked into the foyer.

He kissed me softly before handing me the roses and the wine. "The flowers are beautiful. Thank you, Jay. I opened a bottle of wine a few minutes ago. It's breathing in the kitchen. Let me put the flowers in water and pour us each a glass. I thought we could go out to the patio before dinner. We have an hour or so before dinner. Why don't you have a seat?" I suggested leaving him in the living room and heading into the kitchen. I watched him from the kitchen as I arranged the roses in a vase. I loved the open concept layout of the new house. I had the perfect view into the living room and dining area from the kitchen.

"Here." I said, minutes later, holding a glass out to him. "Let's go outside." I said, leading him out to the patio. I stopped when we crossed the threshold of the patio and watched him take it all in. The candles...the fireplace...the tv above the outdoor fireplace that was playing music.

"What is all this? Whose house is this?" he asked. I didn't say a word. I took a sip of my wine, put my glass down on the table and prepared for the most important monologue of my life.

"Jay, we have only known each other for about 9 ½ months now. But there was something about you from the first time I saw you. You infuriated me. You thought I was spoiled and entitled. But there was something else about you. Yes, at first it was definitely a physical attraction but then I got to know you. I got to know the person you are. You are selfless, brave, sweet, thoughtful, caring and extremely loving. I wouldn't have been able to get through everything without you. You make me stronger. You make me want to be a better person. I wasn't a good person after Florida and I definitely wasn't a good person in London. I love you so Goddamn much Jay but I was scared. I still am scared. I'm afraid I'm going to hurt you. I'm afraid one day you'll wake up and decide that my life is too damn crazy for you to be part of. I don't want that to happen but I don't want you to regret giving up your privacy by being with me. You asked whose house this is. It's my house and if you're willing to still have me...if you're willing to still be with me...it's your house as well. It's our home, Jay. That is if you want it." I said.

 **JAY'S P.O.V.**

Holy shit. She's asking me to move in with her. This is it. This is the perfect time. She doesn't even realize she set the scene. It is absolutely perfect I thought as I reached into my pocket. Her blue eyes stared up at me...waiting for my answer.

"Mackayla, I'll give you an answer when you give me one." I said, as I dropped to my knee. "I blew this the last time so let me please get thru it this time before you say anything. You, Mackayla Kennedy, have been the love of my life from the moment I saw you. I tried to push you away but I couldn't let you go. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. I couldn't imagine loving anyone the way I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life proving how much I love you and reminding you on a daily basis how truly amazing Mackayla, the normal girl, is. This ring was your Mother's. Hank gave it to me when I asked him for his blessing three and a half months ago. Mackayla Theresa Kennedy, will you please do me the honor of marrying me and becoming my wife?" I asked holding the ring box up to her.

I saw the tears in her eyes as she covered her mouth with one hand. She was surprised. I can't believe she wasn't expecting this but I think she was too focused on convincing me to move in with her. God, please let her say yes this time I silently prayed.

"Yes, oh my God! Jay, yes I will absolutely marry you. I love you." she said crying and laughing as I slipped the ring on her finger. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. It was the perfect kiss. Everything at that moment was absolutely perfect. "I love you Mackayla. Welcome home." I said, gently wiping a tear from her face with my thumb. "Welcome home, Jay." she replied softly, smiling at me.


End file.
